Texas-based architect Jim Poteet worked with Stacey Hill, a resident of a San Antonio artists’ community, to transform a vacant steel shipping container into a multipurpose space: part playhouse, part garden retreat, and part guesthouse for visiting creatives.
This Poteet Architects’s project is a successful implementation of client’s wish to experiment with shipping containers. The shipping container house with green roof serves as a small guest house and is fitted with a custom stainless sink and a WC/shower. Large sliding window opens the interior space to the surrounding natural landscape.
The design emphasis is on the sustainable strategies: recycling of shipping container for a permanent use; the green roof provides shade and natural insulation to reduce heat gain. Grey water is collected from the shower and sink, and is used for green roof irrigation. The WC is a composting toilet. Interior space insulated with high efficient spray foam and lined with natural bamboo plywood suitable for walls and floor.
The 8-by-40-foot container is long and narrow. Hill asked that one section remain a garden shed, with the rest turned into living space. Poteet responded by adding floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors, heating and air conditioning, bamboo flooring and wall panels, a green roof, a compact sink and shower, and a composting toilet. The structure now sits atop a base made from reclaimed telephone poles. “For me it’s the perfect escape—open, uncluttered, full of natural light, peaceful, and overlooking my garden,” Hill says. “My two little daughters love it because it’s essentially an empty box where they can play, imagine, and create.”
Behind the container, the design team created a frame that will eventually be covered with climbing plants to hide the AC and heating unit, the graywater tank, and the composting toilet outlet. Landscape designer Jon Ahrens of Madrone Landscaping planted a green roof fed by a drip irrigation system, and the overhang at the back supports a cluster of cacti. Hill’s vintage 1962 orange Mercury Monterey now complements the container’s blue exterior; the original door opening on one end was kept as the entrance to the garden shed.
When Hill was shopping for containers, she immediately liked this one’s blue exterior and kept it that way. Poteet installed tall sliding doors to bring in more light and built a cantilevered overhang to shade a window next to the small garden storage section. He also replaced one wall with a large steel-and-glass lift-and-slide system, which he says optimizes indirect light. “The big sliding door and picture window make the 250-square-foot living area feel much larger,” Hill explains.
A truck delivered the container to Hill’s property, and a small rented crane—costing about $250 per day—was used to rotate it until it sat just right. “They use it as a summer house, an art space, and for entertaining—setting up dinners on the adjacent deck next to Stacey’s main house,” says Poteet.
A tub of reeds outside the container filters the graywater captured from the sink and shower before it’s reused to irrigate garden plants. Inside, because there was only room for a sink within the living area, Poteet designed a sculptural basin paired with a Zurn faucet. A small step leads to the shower and toilet zone. The artwork displayed inside is by San Antonio artists John Mata, Kimberly Aubuchon, Chris Sauter, and Cruz Ortiz; the large “X” was salvaged from an old Texaco sign.
“We noticed the container has ‘ART U’ printed on its side, which felt like a perfect fit,” Poteet says. Because Hill’s property borders an artists’ colony, she wanted the container to remain welcoming rather than closed-off. A bamboo hedge behind it offers shade without blocking the view of neighbors.
Friends of both Hill and Poteet often gather on the porch. Beams attached to the container hold a Polygal sheet for shade, and the custom lamps are fashioned from recycled tractor parts fitted with vapor bulbs. Spray-foam insulation behind the bamboo panels keeps the container cool. “Before, it was unbearably hot; now it’s like a steel ice chest,” Poteet says.
Inside, the walls and floors are clad in bamboo plywood. “We stumbled on a shipment of bamboo ply that hadn’t been picked up at a hardware store, so we got it at a bargain price,” Poteet recalls. “It’s renewable, extremely durable, and works equally well on floors and walls.”
Maximizing space was essential in the tiny 8-by-4-foot bathroom. It features an open shower, an electric Sun-Mar composting toilet, red sheet-metal walls, and a non-slip epoxy floor.
Initially Hill wanted the container to run off the grid, but solar panels proved too costly for such a small building in San Antonio. The green roof—an idea she hadn’t considered—ended up saving more on cooling costs than solar would have and also looks much nicer.
Hill hopes this project could inspire a cluster of similar artist studios—“like an old mobile home park,” she muses. A steel sculpture by San Antonio artist George Shroeder stands nearby.
Jim Poteet opened the office with the hope that the firm could further the sustainable revitalization of downtown San Antonio. Poteet Architects' success in this endeavor has brought the firm national recognition and acclaim. The firm's portfolio of completed work includes residential, commercial and institutional projects, but is perhaps best known for the sensitive adaptive reuse of existing buildings and a fresh, rigorous approach to modern interior design.
In 2013, Jim was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of design. This honor is one of the highest the profession can bestow on an architect.
In 2012, Poteet Architects joined Johnson Fain of Los Angeles and the Olin Studio of Philadelphia to create a new master plan for Hemisfair Park in downtown San Antonio. Completed in 2011, the new vision for the area, forged though a highly successful public process, combines public open space with an urban mix of residential, commercial, and institutional uses organized by bringing back the pre-fair street grid, reconnecting this neglected area to the surrounding neighborhoods.
In 2009, the Pace Foundation Offices was selected as one of twelve CONTRACT Interiors Awards winners nationwide. The project was given a Design Award by the Texas Society of Architects and an Honor Award by the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The firm's Robison Loft was featured in the November issue of Metropolitan Home and the Pace Loft was prominently included in Michael lassell's book Metropolitan Home Design 100, which selected the 100 best spaces published in the history of the magazine.
Jim Poteet graduated from Yale University and received his Master of Architecture from the University of Texas where the faculty awarded him the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. He interned in Philadelphia with Kieran, Timberlake and Harris, and returned to San Antonio where he joined the Alamo Architects. Jim established Poteet Architects in 1998.
In his free time, Jim continues to advocate for the renewal of his hometown's urban center and for the visual arts as a catalyst in that renewal. Jim served consecutive terms as president of Southtown, a community based commercial redevelopment group whose approach has been widely adopted as a model. He has served on the City of San Antonio's Downtown Advisory Board as Chair of its Housing and Urban Design Committee. Jim served five years on the board and as Vice-President of SAY Si (San Antonio Youth Yes), one of the most recognized teen arts education programs in the US.
Small and Cozy Shipping Container Houses with Rooftop Deck, Waco, Texas
Shipping Container Bar, Austin, Texas
2 Bedrooms 40 ft Cozy Wood Interior Design Shipping Container Home, Dallas, Texas
PV14 Two-Story Shipping Container Home, Dallas, Texas
The Cedars Backyard, Dallas' First Shipping Container Bar, Texas
1x20 ft and 2x40 ft Shipping Container Home, Houston, Texas
Lago Vista 3 Bedroom Shipping Container Home, Texas
| Floor plan |
| About Poteet Architects |
| Design | Poteet Architects |
| Year | 2010 |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Photography | Chris Cooper |
This Poteet Architects’s project is a successful implementation of client’s wish to experiment with shipping containers. The shipping container house with green roof serves as a small guest house and is fitted with a custom stainless sink and a WC/shower. Large sliding window opens the interior space to the surrounding natural landscape.
The design emphasis is on the sustainable strategies: recycling of shipping container for a permanent use; the green roof provides shade and natural insulation to reduce heat gain. Grey water is collected from the shower and sink, and is used for green roof irrigation. The WC is a composting toilet. Interior space insulated with high efficient spray foam and lined with natural bamboo plywood suitable for walls and floor.
The 8-by-40-foot container is long and narrow. Hill asked that one section remain a garden shed, with the rest turned into living space. Poteet responded by adding floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors, heating and air conditioning, bamboo flooring and wall panels, a green roof, a compact sink and shower, and a composting toilet. The structure now sits atop a base made from reclaimed telephone poles. “For me it’s the perfect escape—open, uncluttered, full of natural light, peaceful, and overlooking my garden,” Hill says. “My two little daughters love it because it’s essentially an empty box where they can play, imagine, and create.”
Behind the container, the design team created a frame that will eventually be covered with climbing plants to hide the AC and heating unit, the graywater tank, and the composting toilet outlet. Landscape designer Jon Ahrens of Madrone Landscaping planted a green roof fed by a drip irrigation system, and the overhang at the back supports a cluster of cacti. Hill’s vintage 1962 orange Mercury Monterey now complements the container’s blue exterior; the original door opening on one end was kept as the entrance to the garden shed.
When Hill was shopping for containers, she immediately liked this one’s blue exterior and kept it that way. Poteet installed tall sliding doors to bring in more light and built a cantilevered overhang to shade a window next to the small garden storage section. He also replaced one wall with a large steel-and-glass lift-and-slide system, which he says optimizes indirect light. “The big sliding door and picture window make the 250-square-foot living area feel much larger,” Hill explains.
A truck delivered the container to Hill’s property, and a small rented crane—costing about $250 per day—was used to rotate it until it sat just right. “They use it as a summer house, an art space, and for entertaining—setting up dinners on the adjacent deck next to Stacey’s main house,” says Poteet.
A tub of reeds outside the container filters the graywater captured from the sink and shower before it’s reused to irrigate garden plants. Inside, because there was only room for a sink within the living area, Poteet designed a sculptural basin paired with a Zurn faucet. A small step leads to the shower and toilet zone. The artwork displayed inside is by San Antonio artists John Mata, Kimberly Aubuchon, Chris Sauter, and Cruz Ortiz; the large “X” was salvaged from an old Texaco sign.
“We noticed the container has ‘ART U’ printed on its side, which felt like a perfect fit,” Poteet says. Because Hill’s property borders an artists’ colony, she wanted the container to remain welcoming rather than closed-off. A bamboo hedge behind it offers shade without blocking the view of neighbors.
Friends of both Hill and Poteet often gather on the porch. Beams attached to the container hold a Polygal sheet for shade, and the custom lamps are fashioned from recycled tractor parts fitted with vapor bulbs. Spray-foam insulation behind the bamboo panels keeps the container cool. “Before, it was unbearably hot; now it’s like a steel ice chest,” Poteet says.
Inside, the walls and floors are clad in bamboo plywood. “We stumbled on a shipment of bamboo ply that hadn’t been picked up at a hardware store, so we got it at a bargain price,” Poteet recalls. “It’s renewable, extremely durable, and works equally well on floors and walls.”
Maximizing space was essential in the tiny 8-by-4-foot bathroom. It features an open shower, an electric Sun-Mar composting toilet, red sheet-metal walls, and a non-slip epoxy floor.
Initially Hill wanted the container to run off the grid, but solar panels proved too costly for such a small building in San Antonio. The green roof—an idea she hadn’t considered—ended up saving more on cooling costs than solar would have and also looks much nicer.
Hill hopes this project could inspire a cluster of similar artist studios—“like an old mobile home park,” she muses. A steel sculpture by San Antonio artist George Shroeder stands nearby.
Floor plan
About Poteet Architects
Jim Poteet opened the office with the hope that the firm could further the sustainable revitalization of downtown San Antonio. Poteet Architects' success in this endeavor has brought the firm national recognition and acclaim. The firm's portfolio of completed work includes residential, commercial and institutional projects, but is perhaps best known for the sensitive adaptive reuse of existing buildings and a fresh, rigorous approach to modern interior design.
In 2013, Jim was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of design. This honor is one of the highest the profession can bestow on an architect.
In 2012, Poteet Architects joined Johnson Fain of Los Angeles and the Olin Studio of Philadelphia to create a new master plan for Hemisfair Park in downtown San Antonio. Completed in 2011, the new vision for the area, forged though a highly successful public process, combines public open space with an urban mix of residential, commercial, and institutional uses organized by bringing back the pre-fair street grid, reconnecting this neglected area to the surrounding neighborhoods.
In 2009, the Pace Foundation Offices was selected as one of twelve CONTRACT Interiors Awards winners nationwide. The project was given a Design Award by the Texas Society of Architects and an Honor Award by the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The firm's Robison Loft was featured in the November issue of Metropolitan Home and the Pace Loft was prominently included in Michael lassell's book Metropolitan Home Design 100, which selected the 100 best spaces published in the history of the magazine.
Jim Poteet graduated from Yale University and received his Master of Architecture from the University of Texas where the faculty awarded him the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. He interned in Philadelphia with Kieran, Timberlake and Harris, and returned to San Antonio where he joined the Alamo Architects. Jim established Poteet Architects in 1998.
In his free time, Jim continues to advocate for the renewal of his hometown's urban center and for the visual arts as a catalyst in that renewal. Jim served consecutive terms as president of Southtown, a community based commercial redevelopment group whose approach has been widely adopted as a model. He has served on the City of San Antonio's Downtown Advisory Board as Chair of its Housing and Urban Design Committee. Jim served five years on the board and as Vice-President of SAY Si (San Antonio Youth Yes), one of the most recognized teen arts education programs in the US.
| Address | 1114 S St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78210, USA |
| Phone | +1 210-281-9818 |
| Fax | +1 210 281-9789 |
| info@poteetarchitects.com | |
| Website | http://www.poteetarchitects.com/ |
More Shipping Container Homes in Texas:
Small and Cozy Shipping Container Houses with Rooftop Deck, Waco, Texas
Shipping Container Bar, Austin, Texas
2 Bedrooms 40 ft Cozy Wood Interior Design Shipping Container Home, Dallas, Texas
PV14 Two-Story Shipping Container Home, Dallas, Texas
The Cedars Backyard, Dallas' First Shipping Container Bar, Texas
1x20 ft and 2x40 ft Shipping Container Home, Houston, Texas
Lago Vista 3 Bedroom Shipping Container Home, Texas
Shipping Container House with Green Roof, San Antonio, Texas