Container Homes
Written by Jennifer Heyns
The ultimate in recycling, container homes are a little off-track but make for some very unique design options.
You may not have realized it, but the containers referred to in building jargon are the pods commonly used for transporting cargo via semi truck or train. They are typically metal and extremely durable. Many are being recycled as storage containers, but in today’s eco-minded world, people are finding new uses for them all the time, including building entire homes out of them.
Here are some inspiring uses of transforming containers into contemporary homes:
Architect Bernard Morin and his wife, Joyce Labelle recently built themselves a contemporary house in Quebec out of seven containers. They decided that the unique corrugated metal design on the interior of the containers was something they didn’t want to hide, so they painted it and allowed the ridged walls to remain so, giving the home’s interior great character. On the outside, however, they wanted to create a more efficient function and classic look so the couple added a tremendous amount of insulation and finished the exterior with wood siding.
Morin and Labelle were so impressed with the ease and affordability of building with containers that they started their own container building company called Maison IDEKIT, which already has more container home projects lined up for this year.
ConHouse has come up with a much more unique look for their new 2+ Weekend container house. The paint job leaves a little to be desired - unless you’re into the whole polka dotted décor thing, but the floor plan is genius.
The entire house was designed with the idea that real estate is getting so expensive and encouraging wasted space in homes that are really just too big. Every line of the 2+ house is functional. The house consists of two containers, one stacked atop the other in perpendicular fashion. The ground container has a see-through section in the middle, which adds an element of class in addition to allowing maximum natural light. The kitchen, bathroom, and laundry are in the bottom pod and the upstairs container is where the sitting room and bedroom are. By placing the pods in this arrangement, the end of the upper container provides shade for the patio in the rear of the ground floor pod.
DeMaria Design and Logical Homes built a multi-container home on the beach in Redondo Beach, California in 2006. The house is extremely elegant in style and contains eight shipping containers in its construction -- one of them serving as the swimming pool.
Part of the charm of this project is the infusion of glass into the containers, making them much more classical in feature. Aside from having a nice swimming pool, one of the great features of this container home is that one whole side of one container has been replaced by a glass panel, which can be raised up to allow the residents to relax in their backyard while still reposing in their living room.
The Old Lady House is as intriguing in design as it is in name. Essentially it’s a one-floor floor plan designed for an elderly person to be able to live alone in a fully functioning house. The home is made from three shipping containers sitting side by side with a sizeable deck surrounding all sides of the house.
The central pod has automatic glass doors at either end for access to the deck from the front and rear of the home and contains the dining and sitting area. To one side of the main living area is a container that houses the kitchen, laundry room, and a huge walk-in closet, and on the opposite side are the home’s two bedrooms and bathroom. The design is simple and lends itself to energy efficiency and ease of maintenance.
Architect Adam Kalkin designed a 12-container house as a residence in Brooklyn, Maine by arranging a dozen shipping containers in a T formation. By replacing some of the corrugated metal panels with glass and windows, the house is able to take in a lot more natural light and heat.
What makes this design unique is that in some areas, Kalkin has removed the floor and ceiling layers in the containers, allowing the house to have a vaulted ceiling, which really opens the house up inside, making it feel vast and airy.
What others have said
Excellent point, Brenda, that would be a great idea. It is takes away the control over the size and shape, yes, but it is reusing something that would otherwise be waste. Thanks for the comment!
With the average lifespan of a shipping container at around 12 years, there is an annual supply of used ones that are perfect for such projects. The incorporation of glass is a nice touch!
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Using container for a swimming pool is very smart idea. However, it provides no flexibility in terms of pool\'s size and shape. Perhaps it makes sense to use just above ground swimming pool - http://www.intheswim.com/landing/agpools.aspx