Shipping Containers Modular Office of a Logistics Company, Hong Kong

It looks like a beach house, but it's an office made with containers. 192 m² office space in Hong Kong has minimalist decor and sustainable solutions.

Floor Plans / Drawings

About A Work of Substance

Project	Goodman Westlink Office
Architect	A Work of Substance
Containers	4
Area	192.0 m² (2066 ft²)
Location	Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Year	2019
Photos	Dennis Lo

It was a time when offices were all the same and bland. This small company in Hong Kong proves that it is possible to combine design, good ideas and sustainability even in small work environments. Here, four containers gave rise to six flexible spaces, which adapt to different situations. Best of all, the place is surrounded by greenery and has the air of home.

The idea belongs to Maxime Dautresme, creative director of A Work of Substance office, responsible for architecture and interior design. He explains that building with containers is a way to celebrate sustainable architecture. Some of the walls received large glass openings, which take the surrounding landscape into the office and flood it with light. The construction can still be transported to another land if necessary, generating minimal impact on the environment. A project that transforms and inspires the work routine every day.

Description by architects

Containers are multifaceted; a strong symbol of a logistics company and a celebrator of sustainable architecture. Its modular construct naturally allowed us to use 4 containers to create 6 different spaces as a marketing suite for Goodman, with the flexibility to adapt to an evolving site. We maximised the opportunity to have extensive glass openings, which allows potential clients to have an overview of the surrounds. The layering of timber and glass softens the features of an inherently industrial product, establishing harmony amongst nature whilst bringing in light and tropical backdrops into the space. At the end, the build can be collapsed and transported, leaving minimal imprint on the original landscape.

Architecture Studio Office in 40 ft Shipping Container Covered with Mirrored Aluminum Panels, Belgium

Architects create container offices in Belgium. One is in the center of Westouter and the other in a rural area surrounded by nature.

Floor plans

About TOOP architectuur

Architects: TOOP architectuur
Containers: 1 x 40 ft
Area: 36 m²
Year: 2019
Location: Westouter, Belgium
Photographs: Tim Van De Velde

The architecture studio TOOP Architectuur needed two new offices in Westouter, Belgium. One in the city center and the other on a rural site close to the mountains of the region.

In the search for an economical work, TOOP professionals chose to invest in shipping containers. The two structures, while maintaining a visual identity for the offices, preserve unique characteristics designed for the place where they were installed.

The first was designed for the city center and has a huge sliding window that reflects and enlarges the garden around it. While the second office in shipping container is covered with mirrored aluminum panels with the intention of disappearing into the landscape.

The two spaces are called 'architectural laboratories' and form the intellectual heart of the office. There, visitors and staff can work together and be inspired by the materials, the surroundings and each other.

The common element that joins the two offices is the interior design that works for both the city environment and the rural area. Covered with low-cost red plywood, which appears as a building material and not as a visual element, architects show visitors the possibility of doing interesting things with accessible materials.

Temporary, Sustainable and Mobile Shipping Container Offices by Arcgency, Copenhagen, Denmark

660 sqm Container Office

1000 sqm Container Office

Luxury Shipping Container House, Royal Oak, Michigan

Construction Process

Location

About ModEco Development

About C3 UP

Frequently Asked Questions

General Contractor	ModEco Development
Builder	C3 UP
Containers	7 containers (5x 40 ft, 2x 20 ft)
Area	2,350 sq ft
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
Price	$430,000 (2016)
Location	Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Year	2015

Known around town as the shipping container house, this striking & eco-friendly residence made of 7 steel containers, providing 2,350 sq ft of modern living space. The industrial yet homey interior houses a mix of materials including steel, bamboo floors & exposed ductwork through the open floor plan.

Key features of the home: impressive 2-story living room with a wall of large windows providing ample natural light, a sleek gourmet kitchen, a large island, & a spacious dining area. Additional features of the 1st floor: office space, powder room, and a large laundry room. The 2nd level loft offers access to a relaxing zen garden balcony. A luxurious master suite waits at the end of the hall, complete with a private balcony, large custom walk-in closet, & a spa-like bath. Enjoy summers in the custom cedar-fenced yard just off an oversized 2-car attached garage. One-of-a-kind masterpiece!

Smart house: voice/smart phone controlled lights, thermostat, and more! Cameras all around the property. More efficient home. Cheaper heating and cooling cost. The roof is a commercial grade rubber roof that last forever with maintenance. Perfect blend of aesthetics inspired by high-end lofts, with the comfort of a luxury home.

Sugoroku Office - Shipping Container Architecture Studio, Japan

Section

Mobile frame

About Daiken-Met Architects

Architects	Daiken-Met Architects
Project	Sugoroku Office
Containers	7
Area	111 m2
Building footprint area	49 m2
Year	2011
Construction	Nakamura Construction Company
Location	Gifu, Japan
Photographs	Shinkenchiku-sha

The Japanese office Daiken-Met Architects has recently built the Sugoroku Office, its architecture studio in Gifu, Japan. A mobile frame, compatible with stacked containers, forms the work areas and living spaces on the top floor.

This shipping container office represents a temporary structure model that does not require foundations below street level. The structural steel frame can be easily mounted and serves to reduce loads on the shells of the shipping containers.

The land is leased and at the end of the lease, the structure can be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere. The storage systems were built with reused plywood or recycled packaging strips from other buildings under construction.

Description from Inhabitat

Daiken-Met Architects: “In the local city, we are facing various problems such as decreasing population, increasing vacant land, on the other hand it is difficult to make a rental contract for small buildings.” Because of this, they decided to build their own office and obtained a short-term rental contract for a small parcel of land where they could set up their temporary office. As part of their lease agreement, they proposed an architectural design and agreed to remove and reconstruct it every few years.

The Sugoroku Office is built from seven stacked shipping containers on three levels with two spaces left open for balconies. A mobile steel frame serves as the foundation – it provides support for the containers while reducing the structural load placed on them. Circulation routes are installed on the outside of the containers to provide access all the way up to the 3rd floor. The frame and containers can easily be dismantled, removed and rebuilt whenever necessary. The interiors of the containers are finished with used plywood or packing bands from a construction site.

Hoonigan Racing HQ Shipping Container Office, Park City, Utah

Video

About Hoonigan Racing Division

Project	Hoonigan Racing Division Headquarters (Monster Energy Rally Race Car Headquarters)
Architect	Numen Development
Containers	17
Area	12,000 square foot
Location	Park City, Utah
Year	2012

Description from Ken Block's Race Team

Ken Block first opened the doors of his race team headquarters in 2012. Located near his home in the Wasatch Mountains of Park City, Utah, the revolutionary facility — graced with Block’s creative instincts and attention to detail — redefines what a race team’s shop can actually be. This world-class workspace is built of recycled shipping containers decorated with the familiar Monster Energy green color as well as Block’s signature cyan blue and the storied memorabilia of past race events and special projects.

Having been involved with the leasing and building of office space for other companies like DC Shoes, I wanted to avoid the inflexibility of constructing a space made of lumber and sheetrock walls,” said Ken Block. “Using recycled shipping containers as the building blocks for the Hoonigan Racing Division headquarters is not only more environmentally friendly, but it gives us the flexibility to add more infrastructure and the ability to pack the entire facility onto trucks if we ever needed to relocate. It also provides a unique element to work with that is visually stunning and really adds to the creative environment of the space. I honestly could not be more stoked on the finished product.”

The 12,000 square foot facility is divided evenly into two spaces. One side consists of a creative office space, capable of housing up to 25 employees, with separate marketing and administration departments. The other side is a top-level workshop for servicing the team’s race vehicles.




“When setting out to design the Hoonigan Racing Division Headquarters, I wanted to build a fun and inspirational creative space that would not only reset the industry standard for a motorsports facility, but also have a place that rivaled the modern workspaces of top ad agencies,” said Block. “I need a place where our whole team—from the marketing staff to the technicians—can be inspired and enjoy working in everyday. So aside from the standard office needs, we made sure to build in some fun; from a ping pong table to a full entertainment area with its own bar. But, I also wanted the other side of the headquarters—the workshop—to have the feel and functionality of a World Rally Championship-level facility like M-Sport or Prodrive. I think we achieved all my goals with this facility!”

In addition to utilizing 17 recycled shipping containers to construct a reusable workspace, other recycled, reused and sustainable materials were used where possible in the construction of the headquarters.

2 Bedroom Airbnb Orange Shipping Container Home, Colorado

Owner	Tommy Lorden
Containers	2
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
Location	Salida, Colorado, United States

This orange shipping container home is located just 2 miles from vibrant and beautiful downtown Salida, Colorado. Nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, kick back in style as you gaze across at the Collegiate Peaks - with the highest concentration of 14’ers in the State.

There are many ways to use shipping containers, from classic urban farms to modern off-the-grid getaways to automatic all-in-one swimming pools. Each one of those projects is made from a surplus shipping container unit and upcycled into a completely brand new structure or building, and they are often praised as a modern eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional construction methods and building materials.

Often construction process connected with shipping containers looks so exciting and we love watch how shipping container units are transformed into modern livable spaces or any other buildings, and the latest to cross our desk is this beautiful two-bedroom and two-bathroom bright orange home in Colorado. Designed and built by Tommy Lorden, Boulder real estate agent, as a vacation Airbnb rental property, the bright orange shipping container house uses two 40 ft shipping containers side by side and features comfortable decor and clean lines.

Some shipping container homes include industrial in the interior decor, with a bit of traditional farmhouse details, but this interior looks to the 1950s - 60s for decor inspiration. Tommy Lorden owns a classic midcentury home, and he wanted to build an overhanging roof construction and add a large deck for convenient outdoor-indoor living.




A transparent glass railing used to maximize beautiful views of the mountains, and the owner wanted for an entry staircase location the side of the shipping container so as leave the sight lines not interrupted. Inside, the shipping container house features plywood walls with midcentury-inspired design, white counters and cabinets. The orange color scheme allows the Big Chill retro fridge to use an aqua blue color, and the bedrooms connect to the expansive deck through sliding glass doors.

Low Cost Shipping Container Office Space, Los Angeles, California

About Pallotta TeamWorks

About Clive Wilkinson Architects

Interview with Clive Wilkinson by Sean Dorsy AIA, 2011

Project	Pallotta TeamWorks Workplace
Design	Clive Wilkinson Architects
Type	Offices, Warehouse Conversion
Area	47,000 SF
Location	Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California
Year	2002
Photo	Benny Chan, Fotoworks

Description from architects

A growing American charity event company, Pallotta TeamWorks, approached the firm with a challenging proposition: to create an inspiring new headquarters for them in a raw warehouse with a shoestring budget. After a preliminary budget analysis, it emerged that they had insufficient funds to even air-condition the space.

This tight constraint led to a concept of locating the client's work areas in air-conditioned breathing islands' loosely enclosed in tents, within the unconditioned warehouse. All infrastructure was analyzed for optimum distribution paths, and minimal structural alteration. To further save money, shipping containers acted as both private offices and the corner anchors for the tent structures. The resulting project generated considerable savings in use over conventional office build-outs, and reinforced the client's message of promoting responsible, sustainable ways of living on this planet. The project won several design awards, including a national AIA Honor Award.

3 Story 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home, Costa Rica

Renderings

Construction Process

About 506 Tennis Court

Project	Casa Olindez Nosara
Architect	Victor Rojas
Containers	5
Price	$699,000
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
Location	Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Year	2019

This 3 story 4 bedroom shipping container home is in the 506 Tennis Center compound which is the only gated community with full time security in Esperanza. Less than a 5 minute drive to the beach in Playa Guiones or more secluded South Playa Guiones! It has 2 swimming pools, 3 hard true surface and 2 clay tennis courts, as well as 3 guard houses to allow only homeowners and renters into the community. For added security, the guards make regular rounds at night. They have never had a security issue since they began over 15 years ago!!

We wanted the main feature of the shipping container home to be based on simple eco-living elegance. It was built to have as little of a footprint on the environment as possible using 5 recycled containers, natural stone (much of which was found on the premises) and wood and as little cement (which contributes up to 17% of the earths greenhouse gases!!) as possible.

When we designed the shipping container home, we wanted all bedrooms separate from each other. This also allows for privacy come bedtime or waking up in the morning (no one else has to be woken up accidentally by your 5 am dawn patrol sesh!). The two bedrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor have their own bathroom, while 2 bedrooms and an office/bedroom share an adjacent bathroom. All of the rooms have A/C and high end ceiling fans.

The shipping container home sits on 3.25 acres of very private land with hundred of fruit trees such as lime, orange, star fruit, mango, banana and avocado as well as hundreds of gorgeous flowering precious wood trees such as Cortez Amarillo, Cortez Negro, Sandal, Llamaron del Bosque, Orgullo de La India and Malinche. There is a 1.5 Km mountain bike single track with jumps, berms and flowering hibiscus tunnels, also enjoyable for walking!! Part of the trail follows a lovely stream. There are ocean views from the 3rd and 4th floor and in the dry season from the 2nd floor. The back of the home has a breathtaking view of the San Juan and Garza mountains in the distance while still only being 15 minute walk to the beach! Also during the dry season, there are usually water shortages which cause the local water authority to cut off service for hours at a time. We have a 2500 gallon backup cistern so Casa Olindez will never be out of water!

We didn’t take any shortcuts on the amenities but we have kept them simple. All 4 of the massive outdoor decks and all the ceilings are almond wood and furniture is Almond, Cocobolo, Brazilian Cherry, Cortez Amarillo, Sandal, Cedar and Teak. Many of the same trees are full grown on the premises to be enjoyed by our guests.




Monkeys pass within feet of the 3rd floor shower window and 4th story view deck in the mornings and afternoon! Families can enjoy the nature trails, tennis, ping pong, foosball and just relaxing in a hammock on the decks!

We believe the pictures of the home speak better than our words!

Amagansett Modular - 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Modular House, New York

This four-bedroom, 1800 sf, shipping container modular house was completed in March 2019. Its a breakthrough project for MB Architecture and they hope it will provide a template for many future homeowners who may want to bypass the typical process of custom-designing and building homes.

Construction Process

Floor Plans / Drawings

About MB Architecture

About Gallanti Inc - Builder/General Contractor

Project	Amagansett Modular
Architect	MB Architecture
Design Team	Maziar Behrooz (lead architect), Bruce Engel (associate), Eudine Blancardi (intern)
Builder/General Contractor	Gallanti Inc
Structural Engineer	Keith Ewing
Containers	6
Area	1800 sf
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
Location	Amagansett, Long Island, New York
Year	2019

Wrapped around a mature oak tree, a light-filled 4 bedroom shipping container modular house embraces the outdoors in more ways than one.

In the East Hampton village of Amagansett, Manhattan-based MB Architecture has completed their largest—and most complex—prefab project to date: a 1,800-square-foot shipping container home that emphasizes indoor/outdoor living.

"It’s the culmination of 10 years of research prototyping," says Maziar Behrooz, founder of MB Architecture. His award-winning cargotecture work drew the attention of the clients, a couple with three young children, who had been looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous wood-shingled homes in the Amagansett area.

"The fact that our prefab projects are less expensive and take less time to build was an additional incentive," adds Behrooz.

The home, dubbed the Amagansett Modular House, is modeled after MB Architecture’s insta_house — a scalable, prefab structure made of four 40-foot-long shipping containers that can be stacked together and installed in just one day.

To meet the clients’ requirements for a four-bedroom, three-bath retreat, the architects expanded upon the insta_house blueprint with an additional 40-foot container on the north side—connected to the main double-height volume via a glassed-in walkway—as well as a 10-foot container that hangs off the second floor.

These modifications also respond to the sloping site, which informed the placement and orientation of the west-facing building. The external corrugated metal walls were painted black to help the building recede into the landscape, while multiple floor-to-ceiling windows and glazed doors create seamless connections between the interiors and the outdoors.

"We wanted to create a comfortable, playful, and fun interior for both kids and parents," explains Behrooz of the open layout and dramatic, geometric facade. "And to illustrate how a small house may feel very spacious."

The containers were prefabricated off site before being trucked to the site and installed in two days. The kitchen cabinets, bathroom tiles and fixtures, glassed-in walkway, landscape elements, and pool were added in the weeks after installation.

The speed and efficiency of construction also helped reduce costs, which, excluding the landscape elements and pool, were "in the low to mid $300s per square foot," says Behrooz. "While this is a very high number in, say, upstate New York, it’s significantly lower than average for its location on the east end of Long Island, where construction can cost $500 to $800 per square foot. Our cost of construction is region dependent."




Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the project was how infrequently Behrooz met face-to-face with the clients. The busy couple chose to meet the architects a handful of times, and only twice on site—once when they first purchased the land, and the second time when the house was nearly complete. This arrangement that was somewhat unusual for the practice, which is accustomed to recurrent client meetings.

"So, we were a little worried about how they would feel when coming, with their children, to see the finished house for the first time," says Behrooz. "Their reaction was super joyous, and each kid just ran into a room and found their space. Later that day, we received an email from them saying that the house ‘felt like a temple.’"

#FL1 - Two 40 ft Shipping Containers House Connected with Small Bridge, Portugal

Interior

Construction

Concept

Video

About M°LAB

About Handwerk Algarve

Project: #FL1
Design and manufacture: M°LAB, Handwerk Algarve
Containers: 2 x 40 ft HC
Area: 48 m²
Location: Barão de São Miguel, Algarve, Portugal
Year: 2018

Sustainability, design and quality. With #FL1 shipping container house, M°LAB created an entire lifestyle conception based on two 40 ft HC shipping containers as living space. High quality and space saving interior design can compensate the contrast of small spaces. M°LAB built their first model of #FL1 shipping container house and implemented plenty of design ideas and building approaches to get an extraordinary functional and beautiful living space.

• Fully equipped design interior
• 48 m² of living space (2 containers)
• Custom-fit, built-in furniture
• Solid wood insulation
• Individual interior options
• Triple glazing and highly thermally-insulating panorama windows
• Off grid version available
• Hot water, electricity and gas supply inside

Casa Conteiner RD - 3 Bedroom Shipping Container Home, Brazil

Floor plans

About KS arquitetos

Project: Casa Conteiner RD
Architects: KS arquitetos
Bedrooms: 3
Location: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Area: 350 sqm (3767 qsft)
Year: 2018
Photographs: Marcelo Donadussi
Manufacturers: Deca, Docol, Eliane, Beaulieu
Structural project: Manuel Barreras
Collaboration: Helmut Radke, Fabiano Sturmer
Precast structures: ASPM
Metal structures: Radke Industrial Solutions
Finishes: Elevato
Furniture: Radke Industrial Solutions

Casa Conteiner RD 3 Bedroom Shipping Container Home is born from the intimacy of its owner with metallic structures: metallurgist by profession, dreamed of acting in the construction of his own house, together with his team, putting into practice industrial solutions in a context of conventional works. The idea of ​​reusing and reframing shipping containers, which are ready-made and highly resistant structures, went straight to the will of the architectural firm to develop an unusual project.

Another major factor that guided the choice of materials was the optimization of the work, both in time and ease of assembly processes, differing greatly from traditional masonry and reinforced concrete. In principle, the use of shipping containers in constructions happens in very rational propositions, side by side or stacked, due to the ease of handling these modules.




Starting from the great structural potential that each container has, the formal concept of Casa Conteiner RD emerged: stacked but rotated structures, promoting great balances and unusual moments. The inspiration came during a survey when designers saw an iconic image of a large ship, full of containers, all piled up in disarray.

The 3 bedroom shipping container home is located in a hill of Porto Alegre, one of the highest points in the city. The landscape unfolds through the large windows towards a preservation area next to the lot, in the swinging and rotating volume of the master suite overlooks the Guaíba River and its unforgettable sunset. Various locations of containers in different directions  provides different landscape views. In addition to the orientation and location aspects, the lot has more design issues than commonly found in urban lots.

Its shape has allowed all these rotating movements to happen so that the house's implantation does not come so close to the lot borders. The 3 bedroom shipping container home is comfortably set apart, maintaining family intimacy despite so many exterior openings that provide cross ventilation.

The land also has a steep slope, configuring a half-ground floor, where is the garage / workshop located. This volume, due to the contact with the ground, was made in precast concrete structure, keeping the standard and industrial logic of the construction. In the facades, it was decided to take advantage of the aesthetics of the shipping container itself, keeping the metallic structure apparent. Even the main entrance door of the residence is made with two original doors of shipping containers.

Internally, to ensure thermo-acoustic quality, the walls and ceilings were covered with plasterboard, while flooring, after leveling with OSB plates and smoothing layer, received vinyl flooring. Some inner walls reveal the raw structure, keeping and remembering that the unusual house is a large tower of overlapping shipping containers.

LightHotel - 120 sq ft Shipping Container Tiny Home, Minnesota

Video

About Alchemy

About University of MN School of Architecture Students Site technology: WEDGETechnologies

Project	LightHotel
Design	Alchemy
Build	University of MN School of Architecture Students Site technology: WEDGETechnologies
Containers	1 x 20 ft
Area	120 sq ft
Year	2016
Location	Minnesota

The LightHotel, a one room mobile hotel, stands as a beacon for ecotourism and sustainable living in the Twin Cities. It moves as the flow of the city requires, occupying places both celebrated and ignored. The city itself is its lobby.

The interior is efficient and luxe, making the most of limited space within the salvaged 8′ x 20′ shipping container. Just like most hotel rooms, there’s no kitchen, so overnight guests order “room service” from nearby hot spots. Built for the year-round Minnesota climate, it features a spray foam shell, triple-glazed windows and doors, solar powered HVAC, LED lighting and hydronic in-floor heat. The water system is self-contained, with a 250-gallon water tank that supplies an on-demand water heater and a bio-filter producing re-usable grey water. A high-end, roomy shower and separate toilet keep a body happy.




Mechanical detritus and applied typographic overlays entertain and provide functional insight. To be realized: an online public digital dashboard to map guest experiences and the LightHotel’s itinerary, educating guests on conservation and sustainability.

Led by Alchemy and weeHouse® founder Geoffrey Warner, AIA, the LightHotel is part of an ongoing effort to celebrate and create new paradigms for efficient living.

In 2018, the LightHotel was sold to an entrepreneur in north central Minnesota who is forming a ‘circle’ of sustainable structures that will be rented out.

What is needed to use it immediately

Area + access. A solid, approximately level, ideally paved surface that allows for the LightHotel’s 8’ x 24’ footprint, and access to that spot by truck. Height is approximately 13’.

Water. Access to a water source (outdoor spigot) is helpful but may not be needed on a daily basis. The LightHotel accesses the water source with a garden hose. Its 250 gallon tank will last approximately 10-14 days with two guests.

Electrical. The LightHotel is intended to be fully off grid, but until it gets battery packs, it will need to be plugged in. A 100’ extension cord is provided.
240V outlet or site-wiring allows the solar array (3-240W panels) to power the condenser for the mini-split AC/heat.
A 120V power source will allow full use for everything but the condenser.

Gas: two 80# propane tanks are supplied to run the boiler.

6 Décor Tips to Turn Your Shipping Container Tiny House into a Home

Shipping container tiny homes have taken the real estate industry by storm. Homeowners across the world are selling their two or three bedroom homes in favor of cottages with less than 500 square feet. Some say they want to downsize while others say their decision is based off of environmental reasons. If you have recently purchased a tiny home, you might find yourself struggling to decorate with such a small area without lots of decor. Here’s our six tips on turning your tiny house into a home.

Sheltainer - Modular Shipping Container Housing Project, Cairo, Egypt

Massing Build Up

Sustainability

Mouaz Abouzaid, Bassel Omara and Ahmed Hammad, architects based in the United Arab Emirates, designed a modular housing project made of shipping containers for Cairo, Egypt. Nicknamed "Sheltainer", the project aims to help meet the demand for low-income housing for students and refugees. The proposal structures the daily life of its residents around single family units capable of meeting all the needs of a small family.




Sheltainer seeks to serve refugees, exiles, students, and low-income families through standard 6-meter containers, associated with smaller, 3-meter, and larger, 12-meter units employed in the structures. Individual residential units are combined into a cluster, forming a small set of 8 houses around a courtyard. The units can be adapted to different environments. The team initially highlighted two countries that could receive the project: Syria, where more than half of the population was displaced, and South Sudan, where the refugee population increased from 854,100 to over 1.4 million during the second half. 2016. The team rethought the project for Egypt, looking for a way to help solve that country's housing problem.

“Home is not a place, it is a feeling. People are connected to their homeland. Growing up in an environment with family and friends fuels people's souls with a promising future. But being forced to leave home due to hunger, the economy or even politics creates insecurity. Twenty people are displaced by the minute, and providing a stable community that can handle these problems and rapid change becomes an imminent challenge", the architects say.

Shipping Container Low-Cost Single-Family Home, Peru

Floor plans

About TRS Studio

Design	TRS Studio
Containers	2
Location	Pachacutec, Ventanilla, Región Callao, Perú
Photos	Niall Patrick Walsh

TRS Studio developed a project for low-cost housing in Peru's Callao region. The shipping container single-family home is based on a 40 ft containers and is constructed of sturdy materials that involve low cost and low environmental impact. The project depends on community participation and aims to improve the quality of health and housing in the Pesquero II settlement through sustainable materials and techniques.

The project began with a study of the types of houses in the area, concluding that the basic structure should not be too invasive and that the materials should be easy to maintain and inexpensive. The result was the adaptation of a series of ISO 40 ft containers with a total area of ​​60 square meters using locally recycled wood.




The shipping container home is designed as two volumes, one above the other. The upper volume contains a social area and kitchen, while the other houses the private space. Interiors have natural light through openings in the ceiling.

The project was designed for a family of four and can be transformed into new spaces according to the family's needs.

The choice of materials was based on the specifics to the project. OSB recycled wood boards are made from wood shavings, an environmentally friendly, economical, versatile and durable material. This type of panel is resistant to deformation and offers excellent acoustic and thermal insulation. Recycled polycarbonate plates have also been incorporated into the design, and have a 20 year life span. The material has a high resistance to various weather conditions and temperature variations, while its transparency makes it applicable to facades, skylights and roofs.

Shipping Container Homes, Buildings and Structures by LOT-EK

C-Home

Whitney Studio

The Cubes

Drivelines Studios

Carroll House

Sanlitun South

APAP OpenSchool

Qiyun Mountain Camp

About LOT-EK - Architecture
About Silman - Structural Engineering

Foster Residence - Beautiful 3000 sqft 5 Bedroom Shipping Containers Home, Denver, Colorado

We really wanted to build something unique and creative but more importantly, we wanted to build a space that was designed to host gatherings as community and connection with friends and family is very important to us - Regan and Libby Foster, owners and general contractors.

Construction Process
Location and Contact Info
About BlueSky Studio

Project	Foster Residence
Architecture	Joe Simmons, BlueSky Studio
Owners and general contractors	Regan and Libby Foster
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3.5
Area	3000 sq ft
Containers	9
Project Cost	$500,000
Price	$1,100,000 (2025)
Location	Denver, Colorado
Year	2015

Making a house out of shipping containers sounds easy enough: Just snap up a few neglected boxes from a local junk dealer, rack ’em and stack ’em, and create a bit of old-school prefab magic.

But recycling the detritus of global shipping has its complications. Like how to turn corrugated steel boxes that measure an awkward eight feet wide and 40 feet long into something cozy enough to call home. Or how to keep their metal floors from vibrating when you walk on them, or prevent the chemicals they are treated with from being released into the air. Or, perhaps most important, how to assemble it all so it doesn’t look like you live in the storage yard of the local port authority.




Luckily, Regan Foster likes a challenge. He’s an extreme DIYer and, until recently, a firefighter, the kind of guy who is used to working 24-hour shifts and given to starting his day with a plunge into an outdoor ice bath. The house he designed and built with his wife, Libby, located just outside the Denver city line in Adams County, harnesses nine shipping containers into a 3,000-square-foot structure that’s meant to be shared with friends and neighbors. "We believe community and family are a strong part of living a life well-spent," Regan says.

In all, the house has five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, and an in-law suite with a separate entrance where Libby’s mother lives. Four of the containers are placed on the ground—side-by-side in pairs set 24 feet apart—to form the first floor. Another four are stacked above them, some shifted forward, to create a cantilevered second story. The ninth container sits perpendicular at the back of the second level to form a U-shape. The house is enclosed in front with a conventionally framed wall and on top with a flat roof supported by exposed joists.

White Minimalist Shipping Container Home

Video

About Marilia Pellegrini

Architecture	Marilia Pellegrini
Project	Cosentino Container House (Casa Contêiner Cosentino)
Area	60 m²
Containers	2x40 ft
Photos	Alexandre Disaro

Marilia Pellegrini's project was featured at CASACOR SP 2019 and competes in the Architecture Single Residence category of the International Property Awards

Marília Pellegrini's project for CASACOR São Paulo 2019 was the Brazilian project chosen to participate in the International Property Awards, in the Architecture Single Residence category.

The Cosentino Container House, one of the highlights of the show, underscores the truth of the excellent materials and finishes, without excesses, bringing a cozy home from a minimalist point of view. Two containers were docked to form the 60 m² house. It is complete with integrated living, kitchen and laundry facilities as well as a comfortable bedroom with bathroom. The unusual choice of structure had the premise of sustainability: it promotes a clean, fast, dry construction with 100% reuse. In addition, it brings mobility as it can be transported without major difficulties.

Brise soleil around the box control the brightness without interrupting the view of the landscape. The patio complements the living area, adding 40 m², bringing architecture and nature closer.




Bedroom, living room and bathroom are organically interconnected with the corridor. The continuous illuminated strip helps to connect the spaces. Built into the liner, it does not compromise the clean look. At the same time, the natural textures of light wood and fabrics leave the cozy resting environment. Delicacy that surprises when you are in a container.

EBA51 - Shipping Container Student Village, Berlin, Germany

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Interior

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About Holzer Kobler Architekturen

Architecture:	Holzer Kobler Architekturen
Project:	Frankie & Johnny
Client:	Presto 46. Vermogensverwaltung GmbH
Landscaping:	Nipkow Landschaftsarchitektur AG, Zurich
Apartments:	315
Containers:	411
Location:	Berlin, Germany
Project start:	January 2013
Completion:	Autumn 2015
Photography:	Jan Bitter

The name "Frankie & Johnny" symbolizes inhabitants of an extraordinary shipping container student village in Berlin: composed of 400 shipping containers, the project by Holzer Kobler Architekturen presents a new interpretation of student coexistence with individual living spaces and common living areas.

The name "Frankie & Johnny" is not only the name of the project, but is equally representative of two building blocks in the center of the overall system. Between these two parts of the building there is a multi-facetted lounge, which forms the "heart of the ensemble" and acts as a communicative meeting place. Seats, green arcaded galleries, connecting staircases and bridges invite you to linger in the communal area.

On the ground floor of the middle building a public cafe serves as a central meeting place for the shipping container student village. Event rooms for parties and concerts as well as studios and workshops are also planned in the program of the project. Between the parts of the building there are shared open spaces with different offers such as sports areas and various green areas with meadows and flowers.

The student village consists of 400 shipping containers with respective dimensions of 12.19 x 2.44 meters. The containers are initially equipped with bathroom and kitchen and then prefabricated as a modular system. Buildings consist mostly of single units, which can also be interconnected to shared apartments for two or three people. The individual modules are summarized on parallel, elongated lines. Individual container groups can be easily moved or rotated by 90 degrees, which gives the overall system a varied appearance.

That the term "container village" should not be equated with expressionless monotony and sober uniformity is shown by Holzer Kobler Architekten on the basis of its extraordinary project. By fine color nuances of the shipping container shell and an uneven facade design, the container system by no means monotonous, but rather reveals a picture of variation and diversity. Connecting staircases and open galleries provide attractive living areas and meeting places.





Description by architects

More than 420 container modules are stacked onto each other into three long volumes to make up the student dormitory Frankie & Johnny in Berlin Treptow. The CORE-TEN steel shipping containers, which are shifted slightly towards the outside and inside, produce a characteristic architecture and create at the same time a space for a lively and vibrant new form of cooperative living.

The High Cube Containers 40', measuring 2,40 m x 12,19 m x 2,90 m (LWH) each, are prefabricated as a modular systems. The units can be connected into primarily single, but also double and double mini units.

The open air spaces, i.e. the access galleries between the buildings, form the heart of the ensemble. The communicative in-between zone is a place of meeting and exchange that serves as a common balcony at the same time. The compact central building divides the site into two open spaces of different character. Not only are there activity and sports areas, but also a green oasis of spacious lawn and trees. The name Frankie & Johnny stands for the residents – students from all parts of the globe – who live together in this one-of-a-kind location in Berlin.

The project was awarded the German Steel Construction Prize 2018 and the Architecture MasterPrize (AMP) 2018.