Shipping Container Housing: the ultimate in frugal alternative building?

[Wordie]

I found this article earlier today, and wanted to share it with DUers, but I wasn't quite certain where it belongs. Then I realized it was a natural for this forum. This idea, if taken up by affordable housing advocates, could be a winner, imho, although the article primarily discusses higher-end projects.

Living In Style In Shipping Containers
Last modified: January 26, 2006, 8:41 AM
Contributed By: Cornelia Myers

Believe it or not there is a group of architects that have developed some very stylish residences out of the humble shipping container. Not only residences, there have also been hundreds of metal shipping containers used for museums, restaurants and weekend houses. You would not even realize that these beautiful and creative structures were once hauling supplies across the country.

...Adam Kalkin has designed houses out of shipping containers before, but his last one is actually a luxury dwelling for the rich. He unveiled his creation at the Art Basel Miami Beach art show in December 2005 and the attendants were surprised to see lavish furnishings and a beautifully designed interior inside a shipping container. The project has the interesting title of "Push-Button House" because it can be loaded in the back of a truck to be moved and it opens up like a Murphy bed to expose the interior.

...Most architects have noted that the prefab shipping container habitat is ideal for setting up in emergency situations and for humanitarian needs. These very structurally sound and durable homes can be moved easily on the back of trucks and can be loaded and unloaded numerous times with no damage or need for repairs. They can be moved virtually anywhere there is a road and it is easy to hook up plumbing and electrical connections to the outside of the shipping container.

They are very dry, leak resistant and easy to care for. They can be insulated to keep out the cold and, despite being metal, are reported to be easy to cool even in hot climates. The shipping container homes are virtually fire resistant and can be easily cleaned or painted if necessary.

While a shipping container home may not have been an option you had previously considered, it might be something to ponder in the future. The sky is the limit to using your imagination in designing your very own low cost prefab home.

http://www.livearticles.org/article.php?articleID=384

Note that the article also included a bit urging readers to visit http://www.Shipping-Container-Housing.com for tips, costs, and companies. (Unfortunately, some of the link on that site are bad, but it has some good info too, so I included it.)

[NMDemDist2]

1. that was linked over in Environmental and Energy the other day

it's pretty darn cool!

[Wordie]

5. Yeah, somebody else told me about that thread. Here's the link to it.

It's got a lot of other good links, if anyone is interested:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=38692

[politicat]

2. We're really thinking about putting one together....

One of the things we hate about homeownership is the lack of possibility to move easily. I'm a military brat, and for me, not moving every couple of years feels absolutely weird. Plus, we'd like to see the world and spend some time working for the UN or an NGO as educational "missionaries" (eventually. We've got time.)

We've also been thinking about how to build a classroom in a box, using a satellite uplink, solar panels, some computers running linux and books and a clinic in a box (similar, but medical) for production to get these services into Africa, India, South America and Southwest Asia.

[Wordie]

3. Very cool, politicat. There are some other links I found you might like:

This site is from someone like you, interested in the portability aspect:
http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ4/Nomadic_Housing2000.html
It's got some practical tips, and also has more of an economy approach, as opposed to some of the things I've seen lately.

And I just found this one, which looks amazing:
http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/
It's the Shipping-Container-Architecture Information Repository, and its got tons of links, including projects, academic, research, forums, etc., etc. It looks like an interesting site, and has links to portable house sites, too.

These shipping containers sound like a natural for your classroom-in-a-box idea.

[egadsbrain]

4. Another prefab link...

I love these homes, thanks for the link. I know a couple who live in a container here in Brooklyn! This site has a shipping container link as well. Some of the designs are experimental but this is an idea whose time has come... we'll be seeing more and more prefab homes.

http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/home.htm

Kind of off-topic... I worked as a vet tech on one of the ASPCA spay/neuter trucks and can vouch for the efficiency and practicallity of a mobile medical team. We had everything we needed on board and were able to do up to 25 surgeries and 15 cat neuter procedures in 5 hours. I don't know the cost for the ASPCA, but the public is charged $25.00 and anyone on public assistance gets the service for free!