Shipping container homes are the future of sustainable living. This popular trend is becoming a global phenomenon, yet what makes a shipping container house a sound environmental choice? Well, for one thing, the building materials, namely the shipping containers. Since the containers are being reused and recycled there is less time, effort, and energy to create and transport materials. Plus, these homes are fully mobile and can literally pop up anywhere. Additionally, because they take little to no time to set up, you can construct dozens at a time. They usually take mere weeks to fabricate. Some homes can take only a day to finish.
Each Shipping Container House will Take The Trend to The Next Level:
1- PV-14 House by M Gooden Design
It’s hard to believe that his house is actually made of 14 shipping containers. But the architects at M Gooden Studio made sure to passionately document each step of the process of building this home. The 2-story house is built on a total area of 3,700 square feet. This project is actually the first shipping container house by the Dallas architecture firm. It also features a roof deck that acts as a solar screen, three bedrooms, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Photography: Wade Griffith
2- The Manifesto House by James and Mau for Infiniski
The architects for this project are the founders of architecture firm Infiniski. The firm prides itself on sustainable and environmentally friendly designs. Although the house seems as if it is made of other materials, it is, in fact, a shipping container home. What’s more, the house was made of 85% recycled and eco-friendly materials.
3- The Containers of Hope by Benjamin Garcia Saxe
Initially, this project was made for the Peralta family. The home only cost them around $40,000. The container house itself comprises two 40-foot-long containers, lying next to one another. Additionally, the slanted roof in the structure allows for circulation. Although the home seems complete in its own right, it doesn’t fair well with winds. That’s why the Peralta family is paying to have plants and vegetation around the house, to act as a wind buffer.
Photography: Andres Garcia Lachner
4- The Casa Incubo by Maria José Trejos
Like most homes on this list, the idea for an eco-sustainable home is not entirely new. Yet, here, Marie Jose Trejos created a haven with only eight shipping containers. This three-story-high structure is complete with a clerestory roof and a rooftop garden. It even has a steel pole for sliding down from the first floor to the ground floor.
Photography: Sergio Pucci
5- The Flying Box by 2A Design
This home stands uniquely in its neighborhood. The protruding first floor and jarring appearance of the architecture amongst the other building is interesting. Since the interior of the house is quite the opposite of simple, bare, and unassuming furniture.
Courtesy of 2A Design / Josué Gillet
6- Crossbox by CG Architects
This home is composed of two shipping containers cantilevered on top of another two. The top containers have a bold green color to emphasize their position against the black ones below. Another container stands next to the structure with its exterior lining completely in wooden planks. ‘Crossbox’ is meant to be a prototype for more homes similar to it.
Photographer: Javier Callejas
7- House H by Hybrid Architecture and Barcelo Homes
The name of this House goes back to the fact that it is shaped like the letter H. Although Hybrid architecture came up with the design, it is Barcelo Homes who take the credit for finishing it. The house contains four large rooms, a spacious kitchen and dining area, and two terraces.
Courtesy of Barcelo Homes
8- Canon City Container Cabin by Tomecek Studio
This family retreat owes its design to Tomecek Studio. With one 40-foot container and six 20-foot containers, there is ample space in this holiday container house. The windows have high-performance glazing that makes the house almost part of the landscape. The designer chose shipping containers for the design because of their durability. Since the house will only be for seasonal use, it will need to endure against the elements.
9- Nomad Living by Studio Arte
In comparison to all the ostentatious homes on this list, this container house is a little more modest. But that was the purpose behind Studio Arte’s design. They saw this house as either a small start-up home for young couples, a small guest house, or a home office. The idea behind this house stems from the nomadic lifestyles that the architects found to be an extension of sustainable living. Much like nomads, the house itself is mobile, movable, and environmentally friendly.
Photography: Studioarte
10- The Grillagh Water House by Patrick Bradley
The innovator Patrick Bradley made this house by stacking four shipping containers atop each other. The real marvel is how the house does not look like it’s made of shipping containers at all. The house stands on Patrick Bradley’s own farmland. By taking advantage of legislation that allows farmers to build dwellings on farmland, Bradley began constructing this home. His design is a homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water House in Pennsylvania.
Photography: Aidan Monaghan Photography
11- The Maison Container by Patrick Partouche
Patrick Partouche doesn’t shy away from bright colors in this design. The house is made of eight shipping containers, all painted in stark red, which seems to be a nod to the original vivid colors of the containers. Partouche didn’t try to hide the origin of the containers; on the contrary, he celebrated it by using the panel doors of the containers in his design. The doors are used to shield the windows for privacy and sunlight. Additionally, the interior design emulates the industrial exterior.
Courtesy of Patrick Partouche Architecte
For more on how shipping containers and architecture go hand in hand, be sure to check out: 8 Various Applications of Shipping Container Architecture from Around the Globe
