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February 25, 2008
Stackable, affordable, fast — and green — housing
The first challenge in building higher density housing these days — or any housing, for that matter — it that it take so long to construct. If a city has a critical shortage of homes, faster solutions are needed.
A second challenge is that it’s becoming ever more expensive to build townhomes and condominiums. Concrete, copper, and other materials continue to escalate in price (and in some cities labor costs are rising too).
Enter a solution: re-use shipping containers and convert them into homes. Okay, at first this sounds cheap and sub-standard — like stringing together “portables” as school classrooms. However, some creative designers have demonstrated that shipping containers can make beautiful and functional housing, and at lower costs that concrete or wood construction.
Containers are typically 20′ X 8′ X 8.5′ or 40′ X 8 X 8.5′. 8′ ceilings are typical in homes, so this is a perfect height.
And two containers can be connected to create a 40′ X 16′ space, or 640 square foot unit (or the 20′ versions offer a 320 square foot home — about the same size as the smallest studio condos). They can also be stacked to offer lofts and two storey units, as well as multi-storey buildings made of containers.
Shipping containers only cost a few thousand dollars each, so they offer a low-cost base. And containers no longer being used for shipping can have a second life as a house — a green option.
While I’m not sure that shipping containers will catch on as “permanent” housing, they could be a very effective way to build temporary homes, fast. This would be valuable in communities facing a sudden critical dwelling shortage owing to an economic boom or a natural disaster.
For example, the town of Whistler, BC, is considering a container housing project for worker housing. Real estate prices are so high in the booming resort community that the typical employee cannot afford to live there, creating acute labor shortages. A stacked container village could be created quickly, offering much better options that living in cars, and other highly dangerous, substandard options employees are using now like living in unvent
ilated condo storage units.
Container housing might also offer an option for migrant workers of all income levels. For example, movie sets in isolated places could import a pre-fab container village to offer everyone from lead actors to grips and production assistants a nice home away from home. The Olympic Games has thousands of “gypsy” workers who move from host city to host city every two years. What if their home could move too? (Of course, finding a site for a container village might be tricky…)
Topics: catastrophe management, real estate, urban technologies, residential development |
March 1st, 2008 at 7:24 am
That first photo looks a lot like Habitat 67 that was put up in Montreal for EXPO67. Habitat was a series of stacked boxes that worked very well, so I guess the concept is doable. But as you say, finding the right site might be a serious problem. NIMBY will no doubt play a role here.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:24 am
You may be interested in the Ace modular building units which can be used as a standalone unit or component of a larger structure. It is compact for transportation and storage, easily assembled/dissassembled with hand tools on site, and can be configured (both interior space and exterior windows/doors) for many applications. Go to www.aceamericas.com
December 21st, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I found your site while looking for green ideas for housing and I would like to know what kind of costs are involved at this time with the construction buildings themselves. How do they compare in price with other homes please? When you say they might only serve temporarily, how long do they last or what’s the longest anyone has lived in one, do you know? And finally, what do they use for insulation in the colder climates or would they hold up in a snowy area? Thank you in advance for your time.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Same a Victoria, I am interested in costs and how long a shipping container will last. Should it have another steel roof or shingles? I also have questions on insulation requirements in Ontario, Canada.
Regards
Henry
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:29 am
estoy muy interesado en este tipo de construcción, en mexico no es conocido pero creo que hay mucho potencial en todos los temas de arquitectura sustentable.
Saludos