Shipping Container Homes: A New Sustainable Design Approach of

Reusing and recycling of materials is considered as an essential value in sustainable design. According to ‘Ahmed Hosney Radwan’ (Author of Container Architecture Reusing Shipping Containers in making creative Architectural Spaces), Shipping container architecture is generally characterized by the re-use of steel shipping containers which is primarily a structural element and architectural envelope that can host a specific function or a human activity, too.

A shipping container is a steel frame, usually cubical in shape with a suitable strength to support large cargo transits and stowage. Though, the wear and tear matters, such used containers are great for simple storage on site.

With the increasing cost of building and people becoming more and more environmental conscious, a new concept is popping out in the recent times. The reduction of the building footprint means less usage of resources, hence good for the environment.

Reusing them as homes will not only save our resources, our spaces but also a lot of energy. If these containers are not reused, a great amount of energy and resources would be wasted otherwise in melting them down. They are designed to bear heavy loading, hold out against stern climatic conditions as well as rough handling. Some shipping containers have been designed to be stacked one on top of the other making them ideal for multi-storey homes. Shipping container homes can be fast to build in comparison to the conventional houses. The main reason for this is, when you purchase a shipping container, you already have the walls, the floor, roof and the ceiling for your home.

Container modules offer flexible design layout options and, that’s the best part! They offer numerous placement layout options and give a lot of scope for creating interesting designs for homes.

This part can be one of the toughest and to a certain extent challenging in building a shipping container home.

Regardless of their benefits, obtaining a building permit from the local authorities can take time, depending upon the location where you need to raise that structure.

Before embarking on any shipping container project, you need to essentially carry out a proper research with the concerned authorities on your local laws and acquire the relevant permits to prevent hitting a brick wall with your project. Thus, without a thoughtful and comprehensive temperature control strategy, your shipping container home could be absolutely freezing in cold climates or a smoking hot box in summer.

Shipping containers come as standardized modules with default height, length and width thereby leaving not many options to the user. An individual container creates an awkward living or working space. The habitual space is reduced even further leaving you with long narrow box with a dwarfed head room.

A real concern about homes built from shipping containers is the possibility of multiple toxic exposures. Here are six important things you need to consider while designing a shipping container house. It is always advisable to design such home taking into consideration the local climate because the climate of the area where you intend to build will determine the type of ventilation to be used in a shipping container house.

You can modify the structure as per your requirement and for that you need to decide the amount of cutting and welding necessary for the shipping container house. You will realize that with those restricted dimensions of shipping containers, especially the width which is approximately 2.4 meters, getting the standard furniture fixed in those smaller spaces is certainly not an easy option for you.

So, this will call you to consider a different approach when it comes to furnishing a shipping container house. The fifth aspect to look at is the outdoor living because shipping containers have limited space inside.

You can also extend the ground floor space by creating an outdoor terrace or you can provide balconies by using the original container doors. You will also need to adopt full height windows or doors, allowing maximum day lighting and also provide unrestricted access.

For more detail about how to design Shipping Container Home, watch online documentary by Shelter Mode. You need to find out and fix the exact location where you want to put your shipping container house.

Add 300 mm space on all the sides as an allowance for working around the place.

Once this is done, you can lay out timber boarding around the pit so that you are able to at least secure the space and be in a position to receive your materials for casting a slab.

Once the casting has been done, you need to continue curing the slab till it attains the maximum strength. Once the concrete slab has been cured, the next thing is to position your shipping container.

Choose the doors and windows based on the dimensions as indicated and select them from your local hardware shop. Once you have selected the right doors and windows as per your dimension requirement, fix it on the container.

It is advisable to lift your roof above the containers so that you can allow air to flow and also have some temperature control. The final step is to set up the interior spaces in your shipping container houses. Adding an exterior deck will certainly allow you to extend the interior living space to outdoors. If you are planning to build a custom designed shipping container house, then this is the perfect type to use.

Double door containers are very helpful for quickly loading and unloading of the goods. They provide adequate room for extra-large items that can’t fit in the regular ones.

They are usually preferred and more utilized in the regions having extreme climatic conditions.

They are exclusively used for shipment of perishable foods like meat, fruits, vegetables and seafood over long distances. This type of container relies on the external power to keep the temperature regulated. Temperature sensitive products such as food, body organs, blood, biological materials and chemicals can be shipped using insulated containers over long distances.

This is to remove harmful gases and avoid unnecessary heating of the container. They are similar to standard dry storage but with extra ventilation to help prevent condensation while transporting cargo.

For more detail about how many types of Shipping Container used to build House, watch online documentary by Shelter Mode. Shipping containers also make a convenient building material choice which additionally implies simplicity in its design.

But it is gradually adopted, since it is providing a new approach towards modular and eco-friendly housing. Undoubtedly container homes are a popular choice in the western countries, but in India it is still a brewing concept.

There are endless possibilities with the shipping containers as they make way for creating durable and strong structures for its use on a regular basis. They may or may not be economical but offers comfortable choice for building a green and sustainable home in limited time.