Community Green Architecture

The Weirdest Container Homes In The World

by: Sharai Hoekema October 16 2020

The Weirdest Container Homes: Cargotecture

Or, at least, that used to be their destiny. That was until a smart builder came around, looked at the empty shipping containers, and decided that they would actually be pretty great as a dwelling. Someone’s small, smart home, or perhaps a mobile office or shop. To be transported anywhere where affordable space is needed, only to be used and perhaps re-located if the need is fulfilled.

It has been done long enough for it to be given a name. Cargotecture, or the art of transforming cargo containers for architectural purposes. And it goes much further than simply using old shipping containers and upcycle them to create cost-efficient, secure buildings. Quite the contrary, architects are now trying their hand at incorporating shipping containers in their most prestigious projects.

areal ship with containers, sea, tug boat

So far, we have seen pretty unique container homes, alongside container schools, portable hotels, and restaurants, but also bridges, hospitals, theatres, student housing, offices, and much more. It is no wonder that they have become so popular, as they are readily available, require minimal building effort, can withstand the test of time, plus they are very safe - being flood-proof and fire-proof.

Want to get inspired by looking at what is already out there? Here are some examples of innovative shipping container projects.

Container Homes Amsterdam: 'Keetwonen'

red container homes, crane, blue sky

Keetwonen, or ‘shack living,’ is the single largest complex of shipping container buildings globally. It is located in Amsterdam, consisting of 1,034 containers - all meant for student housing in the overcrowded city.

Redondo Beach Container Home, California

Container home, lights, front

One of the typical poster children of container-living can be found right on a Pacific Ocean beachfront location. Its construction required eight shipping containers for a two-story, 278 m2 home with 4 (container) bedrooms with bathrooms.

Port-A-Bach Container Home, New Zealand

woman, bed, book, reading, container home, grass, interior

The Port-A-Bach is created by the New Zealand company Atelierworkshop. It wanted to create affordable holiday homes. This is why this project is so innovative: it is not only self-contained, it also has fold-out walls - and it can be transported to any location you’d like.

Cúbica Container Home, Costa Rica

Container home, tree, grass, roof balcony

In the gorgeous nature of Costa Rica, tourists are delighted to find their vacation home in the Cúbica Container House. It is positively tiny, at 15 m2, but sleeps four people, who can enjoy gorgeous views from the rooftop.

Mill Junction Silos Johannesburg

Container, cilos homes

Taking a lesson from Amsterdam, the South African property developer City used both shipping containers and grain silos to create student accommodation. The 10 stories of the grain silo base were topped with four stories of shipping containers. In total, this created 375 apartments in a tower that is now a prominent part of the city’s skyline.

The Bonsai Container Skyscraper, Zurich

In Switzerland, the Freitag company created its unique flagship store out of 19 old, well-used containers. After reinforcing and stacking them, a marvelous looking skyscraper unfolded - that has pledged to do well for the environment through low-impact solutions for heating, ventilation, and water use.

stack containers, houses, streets, lights, hill

Trump Container Cadde, Istanbul

Yes, there is a Trump Towers in Istanbul. And it is gorgeous - or at least, its roof is. On its roof terrace, a Turkish bazaar was re-created using shipping containers. These are used for commercial purposes and decorated in a breathtakingly authentic manner. The gardens that surround the containers are a sight to behold, as well.

red container, cafe, shop fasades, sky

Container City, Cholula

Container homes, palm tree, street, box with plants

Cholula, Mexico is a few hours away from Mexico City, with very little to speak for itself. With the build of their Container City, the locals sure were not about to accept this status. The shipping container structure is a true marvel, combining galleries, restaurants, bars, stores, apartments, and offices in one tiny - and very sustainable - ‘city.’

Recommended: Tiny House With Multi-Functional Design

KontenerART, Poznań

containers, sand, people, walk board, stage, vafe

Another container city can be found in the Polish city of Poznań. KontenerART was founded by a collective of independent artists and is dedicated to showing ‘art.’ There are film screenings, concerts, workshops, and art exhibitions. Plus, it offers free space to both local and international artists.

Snoozebox Portable Hotel, Northamptonshire

white Container Hotel

Snoozebox, how is that a fitting name for a container that you can sleep in? In Northamptonshire in England, the Snoozebox system operates from the Silverstone racing circuit. Basically, people can order their so-called ‘pods’ for accommodation for all kinds of events. These pods include airconditioning, heating, bathrooms, and several bunk beds.

Ship Away: Containers Of Hope In Costa Rico

containers, home, front, sand, tree

The applications are there. Let them inspire you - and consider ways of re-using old shipping containers for your own building projects. They are not just cutting-edge. They are also greener, safer, and often much cheaper. What more could you ask for?

We took a brief look at Containers of Hope during our feature on shipping container homes in the past. Still, this remarkable project by Benjamin Garcia Saxe Architecture definitely deserves more attention. Built on a budget of just $40,000, this creative dwelling allowed the Peralta family to live debt-free in their ideal setting: surrounded by fields, horses, and just 20 minutes from San Jose, Costa Rica.

Source More than Shipping: Reusing shipping containers: What are the advantages and challanges?

Cover photo by Studio Saxe, Peralta Family

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The Weirdest Container Homes In The World

By WhatsOrb

Shipping containers are pretty nifty. They can haul some impressive loads, from nuclear waste to life-saving medicines and from endangered snakes to IKEA-furniture. Each will go in a specific container, controlled for temperature, humidity, ventilation, shielding, and whatnot. All to travel the world in a boat or on a train, to their ultimate destination - where they get unloaded and loaded up with their next load. Always on the move, always full. The Weirdest Container Homes: Cargotecture Or, at least, that used to be their destiny. That was until a smart builder came around, looked at the empty shipping containers, and decided that they would actually be pretty great as a dwelling. Someone’s small, smart home, or perhaps a mobile office or shop. To be transported anywhere where affordable space is needed, only to be used and perhaps re-located if the need is fulfilled. It has been done long enough for it to be given a name. Cargotecture, or the art of transforming cargo containers for architectural purposes. And it goes much further than simply using old shipping containers and upcycle them to create cost-efficient, secure buildings. Quite the contrary, architects are now trying their hand at incorporating shipping containers in their most prestigious projects. So far, we have seen pretty unique container homes, alongside container schools, portable hotels, and restaurants, but also bridges, hospitals, theatres, student housing, offices, and much more. It is no wonder that they have become so popular, as they are readily available, require minimal building effort, can withstand the test of time, plus they are very safe - being flood-proof and fire-proof. Want to get inspired by looking at what is already out there? Here are some examples of innovative shipping container projects. Container Homes Amsterdam: 'Keetwonen' Keetwonen, or ‘shack living,’ is the single largest complex of shipping container buildings globally. It is located in Amsterdam, consisting of 1,034 containers - all meant for student housing in the overcrowded city. Redondo Beach Container Home, California One of the typical poster children of container-living can be found right on a Pacific Ocean beachfront location. Its construction required eight shipping containers for a two-story, 278 m2 home with 4 (container) bedrooms with bathrooms. Port-A-Bach Container Home, New Zealand The Port-A-Bach is created by the New Zealand company Atelierworkshop. It wanted to create affordable holiday homes. This is why this project is so innovative: it is not only self-contained, it also has fold-out walls - and it can be transported to any location you’d like. Recommended:  Tiny Houses From Shipping Containers. A Trend? Cúbica Container Home, Costa Rica In the gorgeous nature of Costa Rica, tourists are delighted to find their vacation home in the Cúbica Container House. It is positively tiny, at 15 m2, but sleeps four people, who can enjoy gorgeous views from the rooftop. Mill Junction Silos Johannesburg Taking a lesson from Amsterdam, the South African property developer City used both shipping containers and grain silos to create student accommodation. The 10 stories of the grain silo base were topped with four stories of shipping containers. In total, this created 375 apartments in a tower that is now a prominent part of the city’s skyline. The Bonsai Container Skyscraper, Zurich In Switzerland, the Freitag company created its unique flagship store out of 19 old, well-used containers. After reinforcing and stacking them, a marvelous looking skyscraper unfolded - that has pledged to do well for the environment through low-impact solutions for heating, ventilation, and water use. Trump Container Cadde, Istanbul Yes, there is a Trump Towers in Istanbul. And it is gorgeous - or at least, its roof is. On its roof terrace, a Turkish bazaar was re-created using shipping containers. These are used for commercial purposes and decorated in a breathtakingly authentic manner. The gardens that surround the containers are a sight to behold, as well. Recommended:  Grimshaw Designs Tiny House ‘The Peak’: Australia Container City, Cholula Cholula, Mexico is a few hours away from Mexico City, with very little to speak for itself. With the build of their Container City, the locals sure were not about to accept this status. The shipping container structure is a true marvel, combining galleries, restaurants, bars, stores, apartments, and offices in one tiny - and very sustainable - ‘city.’ Recommended:  Tiny House With Multi-Functional Design KontenerART, Poznań Another container city can be found in the Polish city of Poznań. KontenerART was founded by a collective of independent artists and is dedicated to showing ‘art.’ There are film screenings, concerts, workshops, and art exhibitions. Plus, it offers free space to both local and international artists. Snoozebox Portable Hotel, Northamptonshire Snoozebox, how is that a fitting name for a container that you can sleep in? In Northamptonshire in England, the Snoozebox system operates from the Silverstone racing circuit. Basically, people can order their so-called ‘pods’ for accommodation for all kinds of events. These pods include airconditioning, heating, bathrooms, and several bunk beds. Ship Away: Containers Of Hope In Costa Rico The applications are there. Let them inspire you - and consider ways of re-using old shipping containers for your own building projects. They are not just cutting-edge. They are also greener, safer, and often much cheaper. What more could you ask for? We took a brief look at Containers of Hope during our feature on shipping container homes in the past. Still, this remarkable project by Benjamin Garcia Saxe Architecture definitely deserves more attention. Built on a budget of just $40,000, this creative dwelling allowed the Peralta family to live debt-free in their ideal setting: surrounded by fields, horses, and just 20 minutes from San Jose, Costa Rica. Source More than Shipping: Reusing shipping containers: What are the advantages and challanges? Cover photo by Studio Saxe, Peralta Family Before you go! Recommended:  Tiny Houses Tips And Tricks: Minimalistic Living Experience Did you find this an interesting article, or do you have a question or remark? Leave a comment below. We try to respond the same day. Like to write your article about Tiny Houses or Container Houses? Send your writing & scribble with a photo to  [email protected] , and we will write an interesting article based on your input.