Tag Archives: shipping container

This Ingenious Space-Saving House Was Once a Humble Shipping Container

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Named Cargo, and designed by the Portuguese studio Madeiguincho, this tiny home was initially an old shipping container but is now an attractive house. The humble metal box was customized and modified to feature a rooftop terrace and a space-saving interior that slowly opens up to the outside. It is based on a standard shipping container and measures 6 x 2.5 meters. The home is finished in wood, and the rooftop terrace features a big overhang. Insulation and operable windows also mark the home, which helps maintain a cool temperature throughout the house.

Designer: Madeiguincho

The rooftop terrace can be accessed via a ladder and one of the exterior walls of the container is uncovered, so that the home can be opened up when the weather allows. The tiny home is also adorned with a deck and massive double glass doors, which were protected by wooden slats. The interior has wooden decor, which is similar to Madeiguincho’s previous works. The studio isn’t too fussy or formal with the layout, since the available space is quite limited. The home features a large room in the center with a raised bed, with some storage space underneath. There is also a L-shaped seating area, with a porthole-style window.

The Cargo also features a simple and compact kitchen with a sink, storage, and basic cooking facilities like an oven and a stove. The home also includes a small bathroom which includes a toilet and shower. The Cargo tiny home is nestled in Portugal’s stunning Algarve region and is intended to be a short-term rental, which does seem to be a better option than a full-time home.

Cargo’s wooden and minimalist appeal lends it a calming and subtle personality. It is a wonderful specimen of how shipping containers can be converted into modern and well-designed homes with comfortable amenities, and all the essentials you could need for a simple and cozy life.

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This small cabin in the woods was built using a repurposed shipping container

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The utility of shipping containers in architecture is quite established now – whether for building shelters for homeless people, beautiful modern homes, or even cabins in the wood! And one such stunning seasonal cabin made from a repurposed shipping container is the Shiship Cabin by Repère Boréal. Shiship quite literally means ‘duck’ in the indigenous Innu language, and the cabin is located in Quebec, Canada.

Designer: Repère Boréal

The 31-foot long and 8-foot wide cabin is the modern version of a wilderness cabin and has been packed with space-saving custom-made furniture designs, as well as other smart features. The exterior of the cabin has been clad with durable cedar wood planks, creating a thick frame, that provides a natural yet contemporary aesthetic to it. Once you enter the cabin via a door on the side, you are welcomed by the central space of the home, which includes a kitchen and a bed on one side, a bathroom on the other side, and a living room in the middle.

The open-concept cabin features a kitchen with an interesting black and steel theme, which is followed through by the under-mounted black granite sink, and the black-colored backsplash that runs through the counter. The kitchen and bed have a subtle connection in the form of a built-in wine rack, which also functions as a night table, hence uniting the two spaces. A custom-made table that can expand is placed directly opposite the kitchen. Once you pull it out, it transforms from a two-person table to a four-person table. You can also add the two folding chairs which are stored under the sofa.

The comfortable queen-sized bed is placed alongside a window, providing you with impressive views when you wake up, and when you fall asleep. The living room, on the other hand, has been equipped with a built-in sofa, with a slide-out drawer underneath, that can be used to store items such as chairs, blankets, or more. The bathroom includes a sink, a flush toilet connected to a septic system, and a glass-walled shower with a tall window.

The Shiship cabin is proof of how a shipping container can be repurposed into a beautiful place to relax and unwind. It is cozy, comfortable, and smartly designed, and you can rent it for a night at $142!

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This modular structure concept can help quickly build homes and schools after wars

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Wars are ugly, no matter which way you look at them. It destroys not only buildings and infrastructure but, more importantly, lives. Rebuilding war-torn areas have always been a big problem for countries devastated by battles, especially when time is of the essence. With the technologies and resources we have at our disposal today, however, that doesn’t have to be the case anymore, at least not when trying to set up essential facilities and housing. When speed and adaptability are top priorities, nothing beats a modular design, and this particular concept puts modularity in the service of rebuilding a nation’s infrastructures, especially schools that will keep young people safe and well-educated to build a better, war-free future for themselves and the rest of the world.

Designer: ZIKZAK Architects

Modular houses and buildings aren’t a novel concept, but most of the time, these are designed with convenience, economy, and space efficiency in mind. While those elements are beneficial in any situation, rebuilding destroyed structures to provide immediate housing and emergency facilities has a different set of priorities. Buildings have to be set up quickly to fill certain needs, but they also need to be flexible so that the same buildings can be used for other purposes once those needs pass.

REVIVAL is an architectural design concept that tries to address these particular needs by using a block system. Each block has a collapsible design that starts with a steel frame. At first glance, it actually looks more like a typical shipping container, and they do share some similarities in basic shape. Unlike a container, however, REVIVAL blocks have wall slabs that are made with an aluminum frame and filled with insulation like mineral wool.

Blocks can be designed with specific purposes in mind, like lodging, medical, dining, sports, or classrooms. A residential unit could house four people and include a bathroom and a kitchen, and these could then be combined to form an apartment block for multiple families. These blocks, when placed on top of or beside each other, form the very structure that would make up a building or a campus.

Being modular, the architectural system can be expanded or shrunk as the needs dictate. Cities won’t always be in an emergency mode, and clinics or patient rooms won’t always be in demand. It will be possible to then change blocks or change functions without requiring a redesign of the building or complex. And if necessary, the blocks can also be disassembled to be moved to a different location in case the building has outgrown the initial space allocated for it.

Of course, all this still requires a bit of work, but it is considerably less work compared to building a school from scratch, rebuilding or adding new areas, and then taking it down again. It’s also more economical and more efficient as far as resources go, and when you’re trying to rebuild a nation after a war, those resources will be pretty scarce in the first place.

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Industrial Shipping Container Side Tables Won’t Get Stuck in the Suez Canal

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Inspired by the giant cargo shipping containers that carry goods all over the globe, these side tables (affiliate link) are the perfect addition to any home or office’s industrial interior design motif. Don’t have an industrial interior design motif? Start with one of these side tables! Or, if you’re like me, have no choice but to stick to the modern farmhouse style my wife insists on. But I want a tiki bar theme!

The iron tables are available in 13 different colors, measure approximately 40cm x 38cm x 48cm (16″ x 15″ x 19″), and weigh around 17 pounds. For reference, an actual shipping container weighs around 8,000 pounds and can store up to 59,000 pounds, for a total weight of 67,000 pounds. Obviously, you don’t want to stub your toe on that in the middle of the night! Or this tiny version. I can’t remember the last time I had my tetanus shot, but it definitely wasn’t in the past two decades, I do know that.

[via DudeIWantThat]

This Container Cabin is made from stacked containers is nestled in a former paddy field

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Thailand is known for breathtaking palaces, enormous malls, glimmering beaches, and sumptuous cuisine. The tropical country also has friendly locals ready to give tourists their bigGES smiles. It’s not exactly popular for modern architecture, but there are plenty of excellent Thai architects and designers out there.

Architect Tung Jai Ork Baab used shipping containers to make this home in Thailand. Officially called the Container Cabin, the container house is under the OOST Campville project. The idea is for the cabin to be a home away from the city. Located in Nakhon Nayok, a small province in northeast Bangkok, the Container Cabin is meant to be rented for a staycation.

Designer: Tung Jai Ork Baab

The Container Cabin is situated within a former paddy field and has access to playgrounds and orchards. This holiday home shows an A-frame roof that shelters the living spaces that may be affected by high heat transfer. It also comes with steel plate louvres that allow wind flow and protect the house from sunlight and rain.

The main spaces are shipping containers that are already prefabricated. They can be easily assembled and delivered to most sites. There is the issue of flooding, but the architect’s solution was to create a small reservoir to act as a raised area for the cabin. There is a concrete base that is actually divided into two. At the center is a communal space where you can chill and hang out.

The design connects both the indoor and outdoor spaces. This cabin can be the perfect outdoor getaway destination for those who just want to relax and chill with nature. The living spaces are enough to make you have a grand time with family and friends.

Tung Jai Ork Baab’s holiday home features two stacked containers on one side where the bedrooms and living spaces are. On the other side, there is another bedroom that overlooks a pool that is surrounded by a deck. There are terraces and balconies around for more space for relaxation or nature-viewing. The walls are sliding doors and full-height windows.

The shipping container home’s interior is white for a clean and simple look. Old container doors have been transformed into shutters for additional privacy and shade. The outside of the containers is uncovered but painted gray, same with the A-frame roof structure.

The Container Cabin is just one of the many container homes we found interesting. We remember the Mansfield Container House and the Estúdio Lapinha in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. There’s also the MUA getaway cabin and the rest of architectural designs made of shipping containers that exhibit excellent waste repurposing and sustainable living. Expect more related designs of shipping container homes will be available.

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This tiny home is built from three shipping containers for a scaled-down lifestyle

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This tiny home in Wattle Bank, Australia is formed by three 20′ shipping containers and inspired by the recent trend to downsize our lifestyles.

While downsizing our lifestyle requires letting go of many luxury comforts, it also makes room for simpler life pleasures. Sure, getting rid of the pool might hurt a little, but more green space allows for more plant cultivation and harvesting. For one Australian couple, Amy Plank and Richard Vaughan, downsizing meant disbanding from domestic duties for the freedom to surf, garden, and enjoy nature whenever and however they like. Hoping to make their dream of a downsized, sustainable lifestyle a new reality, Plank and Vaughan found the freedom they hoped for in shipping container architecture. Merging three shipping containers together to form a 530-square-foot tiny home, Plank’s and Vaughan’s Wattle Bank home fits the bill.

Designer: Modhouse

Situated on a plot of land on Amy’s parents’ farm, the couple’s Wattle Bank home was designed and built by the modular home building company, Modhouse, founded by Amy’s parents Mark and Melissa Plank. Each 20-foot shipping container that comprises the tiny home connects to one another via integrated passageways. These hallways also help make the most of the available living space by hosting utility rooms, like the laundry and entryways. Throughout the home, floor-to-ceiling entryways and windows give the feeling of indoor-outdoor living, adding some extra space to the interior as well.

While the ample windows and openings manage to create a seamless transition between the outdoors and the indoors, the home was duly outfitted to protect interior spaces from collecting too much sunlight. Overhead, detached roof extensions help to increase the home’s thermal efficiency quotient. Rated with 7.1 stars, the home’s energy efficiency is achieved by the overhead roofs as well as exterior Colorbond cladding that’s overlaid with layers of thermal insulation.

While the exterior metal cladding does much to protect the home from natural elements, a gentler, warmer interior is achieved through Tasmanian oakwood flooring and Ecoply plywood walls, ceilings, and cabinetry. In choosing all of the home’s building materials, Vaughan and Plank prioritized its eco-friendly appeal first and foremost. Low-impact materials like FSC-certified, zero-formaldehyde timber, and natural sealer on the walls and floors contribute to the home’s overall sustainability factor. In addition, Vaughan and Plank relied on the know-how of local tradespeople and builders to reduce their carbon footprint and support the local economy.

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Polestar’s emergency vehicle uses autonomous drone technology to respond to catastrophe

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Polestar Duo is an itinerant vehicle that merges autonomous drone technology with a hybrid modular building to provide emergency relief.

In the age of COVID-19, one thing’s for certain—the need for autonomous, mobile emergency services is more urgent than ever before. When faced with unprecedented crises, dwindling resources make it hard to respond with tact. Considering the modern world’s technological advantage, innovative task forces and emergency services should be made readily available to help prevent catastrophe.

Designer: Marcelo Aguiar

Marcelo Aguiar, Chief Automotive Designer at electric car startup UNITI Sweden, recently devised a concept for a vehicle that blends autonomous drone technology with a hybrid modular building to create an accessible means to respond to any disaster.

Designed for the Polestar Design Competition, Aguiar’s Polestar Duo appears like a multifunctional shipping container that travels via drone technology.

Aguiar conceptualizes Polestar Duo to be flexible, adaptable, and itinerant, to be able to “perform in a variety of scenarios adopting different functions: it can work as a rescue vehicle, be used as pop-up structure or temporary accommodation, provide support in humanitarian crisis situations, be a mobile off-grid home to enable a more itinerant lifestyle.”

Equipped with a wind turbine, the Polestar Duo operates from a pair of back-driven propellers with wings that swivel to the optimal position considering the given day’s weather and wind conditions. Before taking flight, Polestar Duo’s wings unfold by rotating along their axes.

The integrated drone technology carries Polestar Duo’s Pod, which functions as the hybrid modular building, by attaching the Pod’s roof to the drone’s base. In difficult access scenarios, Polestar Duo deploys high-strength tethers that suspend the Pod from the drone’s base.

Merging today’s appeal to sustainable design with autonomous technology, the vehicle’s overall carbon footprint remains low due to the use of recycled and lightweight building materials, re-adaptability, and local power generation. Aguiar goes on to explain that, “this reduces the load on available resources while building, and becoming, a versatile infrastructure to support societal progress.”

Twin wings unfold at Polestar Duo’s axes to take flight. 

When idle, Polestar Duo’s wings fold up.

Polestar Duo is comprised of two main parts: the drone and the folding quadcopter.

The Pod attaches to the drone’s base for secure transportation.

In difficult access scenarios, the Pod suspends from the drone’s quadcopter via high-strength tethers. 

Outside of emergency services, Polestar Duo can be used as temporary living accommodations. 

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This tiny home composed of two shipping containers is designed for off-grid living

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The Mansfield Container House is an L-shaped tiny home composed of two disused shipping containers that merge together to form a tiny, off-grid cabin.

Shipping container homes have redefined modern architecture. Designers and architects across the globe have turned to disused shipping containers to convert into insulated, tiny homes. Cost-effective, eco-friendly, and modular by design, shipping containers provide the ideal template for designers and architects to have at it and let their creativity fly.

Designer: Robbie Walker

In the foothills of Australia’s Victorian Alps, Melbourne-based architect Robbie Walker merged two disused shipping containers together to form a tiny, off-grid cabin for family holidays and solo rendezvous.

Named Mansfield Container House after the town where it resides, Walker’s tiny home is comprised of two 20-foot shipping containers that amount to 30-square-feet in total. Coated with heavy-duty paint, Walker hoped to maintain the industrial personality of shipping containers on the outside. Inside, natural, polished plywood clads the interior walls to help brighten the exterior’s heavy-duty look.

Forming a right angle, the two shipping containers are connected by an external, hydraulics deck that folds down from one of the two shipping containers. Just in front of the fold-down deck, residents and guests can make use of the outdoor space with an expansive fireplace that can be used year-round.

Stationed behind the fold-down deck, the tiny home’s residents enjoy enough room for a living room, bathroom, and kitchen, which is equipped with a fold-out table as well as a fold-out guest bed.

In the other container, the main bedroom can be found, where a fold-down double bed and triple bunk are located with self-inflating mattresses. To save space and avoid unnecessary crowding between the two containers, a bathroom and kitchen sink can also be accessed in the bedroom container.

Stocked with all of the necessities for off-grid living, the Mansfield Container House has the means for solar power as well as water treatment systems. Solar panels were placed on the roof to generate and store solar power, while water bladders were built into the roof to preserve 1,000 liters of rainwater. Then, an integrated steel screen produces some shade for the sunny days the tiny home’s residents want to lounge out on the deck.

Since the cabin is off-grid, it does come with its own catalog of operational duties, as Walker explains, “It’s similar to the way a sailor must operate a yacht—you need to open a window to catch a breeze, and close down at the right time to avoid the bugs. But that’s part of the fun. It brings you closer to the elements and nature in this beautiful part of the world.”

The tiny home is a familiar sight on the farm, where several shipping containers plot the land. 

Inside, natural, polished plywood lines the walls for a warm contrast to the home’s industrial exterior.

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This mobile tiny home comprised of two disused shipping containers features a spacious terrace!

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The Portable Cabin from Wiercinski Studio is a mobile tiny home comprised of two disused shipping containers.

When it comes to transforming shipping containers into homes, you get the best of both worlds. On one hand, you have yourself a homey, tiny cabin that can cozy into any small corner of the world like it’s been there all along. On the other hand, most architects accommodate a mobile lifestyle when designing shipping container homes, outfitting the piece of cargotecture with wheels and a trailer.

Adding their own shipping container turned tiny-home-on-wheels to the mix, Adam Wiercinski of Polish architecture group, Wiercinski Studio designed Portable Cabin.

Designed as a prefabricated tiny home comprised of two disused freight containers, Portable Cabin is a 55m2 mobile home and office located in Poznan, Poland. Situated above a small creek, Wiercinski Studio’s Portable Cabin was prefabricated offsite before landing in the lush gardens of Poznan’s Szelagowski Park.

There, Wiercinski designed the interior of Portable Cabin within just one day. From the outside, Portable Cabin boasts its factory-made profile, with discreet army green facades made from trapezoidal sheet metal. Trading camouflage green for bright, sun-soaked interiors, the living spaces of Portable Cabin are framed by birch plywood panels.

Brightening the home even further, two sets of floor-to-ceiling windows bookend both sides of the Portable Cabin. Cradled beneath tree canopies and besides growing ferns, a spacious exterior deck merges with one set of french doors and the main bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window.

The exterior deck is accessible either through the living room’s french doors or the external steel staircase that’s bordered by a bowed balustrade. In addition to the living room and main bedroom, the tiny home’s residents enjoy a kitchenette, bathroom, and small workspace.

Designer: Wiercinski Studio

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This micro hotel structured from repurposed sea freight containers is energy-efficient and modular for the modern traveler!

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My Home, from German architecture firm Containerwerk, is a line of temporary hotel living quarters constructed from recycled sea freight containers for an energy-efficient, affordable, and micro-sized escape for the modern traveler.

Modern design wears many faces. From smart micro-technology to DIY minimalist architecture, the design of tomorrow is changing. Shipping containers also seem to nod towards the future. Championing a new charge of contemporary hotel concepts and travel solutions, repurposed shipping containers have become the shell for travelers across the globe.

My Home, a solution-based hotel solution, was designed by Germany-based architecture firm Containerwerk to provide a line of temporary living quarters for the modern traveler. Comprising a line of 21 hotel modules in the guise of repurposed sea freight containers, My Home was conceptualized specifically to provide company employees with hotel accommodations that don’t skimp out on elevated design elements or maximal comfort.

Affordability and design elements that feel high-end are among today’s top criteria when it comes to hotels. Adding to that, the architects at Containerwerk note, “ Guests’ expectations in terms of design and comfort are rising, and at the same time, sustainable hotel concepts are in demand.”

Enter My Home–completed in February 2020, the energy-efficient modules that make up the line of repurposed shipping containers measure 26sqm and are kept warm during colder months through a patented, high-performance insulation method. Constructed to fit four people comfortably, each module contains enough room for a fully equipped kitchenette, private terrace, separate entrance, light-flooded dining, and working area.

Lined with solar panels and bolstered with locally-sourced timber building material, each module that makes up My Home is built on a commitment to sustainability and practicality.

The supplemental luxuries that outfit most hotels, such as daily room cleaning and freshening up of bed linens aren’t forgotten with My Home either. Containerwerk developer suggests, “It is important to me that every guest feels at home. The apartments offer a feel-good factor, privacy, and yet maximum flexibility.”

Designer: Containerwerk

In order to start and finish the My Home project from a sustainable vantage point, the shipping containers require little to no excavation during the construction process. 

For their versatile geometric shape, each repurposed shipping container becomes a stackable module that doubles the interior living space when put together.

An alternative anchoring process that involves welding allows each module to station to the floor with little alteration to the terrain’s original state. 

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