May 24, 2009: Fun With Shipping Containers

We've known how useful shipping containers can be for years. Before moving into our new office space back in 2005, we used them as additional warehouse space. But converting them to living spaces? That is, dare I say it, thinking outside the box.

And that's exactly what a growing number of architects are doing. Bark Design Collective from Canada has designed the All Terrain Cabin. It can be transported by truck or helicopter to nearly any location. Quik Build has created a 2,000sf home from six containers. From the time your order is processed, you'll barely have enough time to get your foundation poured before the components arrive, and assembly takes about a day. Too bad there's a six month backlog of orders.

They aren't the only ones. Yahoo Green has an article on the topic, and a slide show.

(One minor grump -- and this isn't limited to just weirdly cool "reclamation housing" pieces, but very broadly applicable to pretty much every architectural publication I've seen -- is it so hard to include floor plans? Yes, I know that the full versions are expensive to create, and the architect doesn't want them reproduced without a significant fee. But I can't visualize the space without an idea of the size of each room relative to the others. I don't need details, just walls and doors and the basics.)

-- Paul Chapman