Shipping Container Architecture

Shipping Container Architecture

Many examples of using shipping containers as architectural elements:
* firmitas.org

Re: Shipping Container Architecture


"Joe" <useful_infos@yahoo . com > wrote in message
news:e2841ad2-224e-46e0-a10b-83aef59b161c@a22g2000hsc.googlegroups . com ...
> Many examples of using shipping containers as architectural elements:
> * firmitas.org


Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?

Re: Shipping Container Architecture


> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?

One reason is that a single-container home can be
shipped, e.g. to a disaster area like a tsunami-damaged
zone or a war zone. I've heard that in Iraq the military
and/or contractors are using containers as living quarters.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture


"Joe" <useful_infos@yahoo . com > wrote in message
news:09834132-0eb7-430d-92f5-39428a9a81bc@m36g2000hse.googlegroups . com ...
>
>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
>> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?
>
> One reason is that a single-container home can be
> shipped, e.g. to a disaster area like a tsunami-damaged
> zone or a war zone. I've heard that in Iraq the military
> and/or contractors are using containers as living quarters.

I doubt anything on that website would be shipped anywhere, particularly for
emergency purposes.
Thats why it was called art.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

"Don" <one-if-by-land@concord . com > wrote in news:fucukg01b96
@news3.newsguy . com :

>
> "Joe" <useful_infos@yahoo . com > wrote in message
> news:e2841ad2-224e-46e0-a10b-83aef59b161c@a22g2000hsc.googlegroups . com ...
>> Many examples of using shipping containers as architectural elements:
>> * firmitas.org
>
>
> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?
>

Hi Don,

The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and the have
known structural qualities. These things get lugged on/off ships and roll
around the oceans. A few years ago in Western Australia an entire township,
in the path of a Category 5 cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft container for
shelter. They all came out again unharmed.

I've recently done a set of drawings demonstrating that a 6 x 2.44 x 2.5m
container can meet the code requirements for a dwelling. Row of 3 x 0.5m
steel stumps fixed to the lifting rails each side concreted into the
ground, Simple low-pitched roof with overhangs and enough space for foil
batt insulation, enough room (just) for required facilities. You don't have
to have too many personal possessions ....
2.44m width is a bit uncomfortable. The deluxe version is to bolt two
containers together sideways.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Troppo wrote:
> "Don" <one-if-by-land@concord . com > wrote in news:fucukg01b96
> @news3.newsguy . com :
>
>> "Joe" <useful infos@yahoo . com > wrote in message
>> news:e2841ad2-224e-46e0-a10b-83aef59b161c@a22g2000hsc.googlegroups . com ...
>>> Many examples of using shipping containers as architectural elements:
>>> * firmitas.org
>>
>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
>> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?
>>
>
> Hi Don,
>
> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and the have
> known structural qualities. These things get lugged on/off ships and roll
> around the oceans. A few years ago in Western Australia an entire township,
> in the path of a Category 5 cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft container for
> shelter. They all came out again unharmed.
>
> I've recently done a set of drawings demonstrating that a 6 x 2.44 x 2.5m
> container can meet the code requirements for a dwelling.

Would you like to send them to me?

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers that had a
20' space between them.
When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the containers.
Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to make Hurricane
resistant houses.

>>>
>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
>>> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?
>>
>> Hi Don,
>>
>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and the
>> have known structural qualities. These things get lugged on/off ships and
>> roll around the oceans. A few years ago in Western Australia an entire
>> township, in the path of a Category 5 cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft
>> container for shelter. They all came out again unharmed.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Bill wrote:
> Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers that had a
> 20' space between them.
> When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the containers.
> Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to make Hurricane
> resistant houses.
>
>>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as warranted
>>>> rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab version?
>>> Hi Don,
>>>
>>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and the
>>> have known structural qualities. These things get lugged on/off ships and
>>> roll around the oceans. A few years ago in Western Australia an entire
>>> township, in the path of a Category 5 cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft
>>> container for shelter. They all came out again unharmed.

I have a shipping container design in my head that got out halfway on my
previous laptop just before I dropped it down an escalator. :D

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Warm Worm <user@domain.invalid> wrote in news:fuka95$52i$1@aioe.org:

> Bill wrote:
>> Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers that
>> had a 20' space between them.
>> When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the
>> containers. Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to
>> make Hurricane resistant houses.
>>
>>>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as
>>>>> warranted rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab
>>>>> version?
>>>> Hi Don,
>>>>
>>>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and
>>>> the have known structural qualities. These things get lugged on/off
>>>> ships and roll around the oceans. A few years ago in Western
>>>> Australia an entire township, in the path of a Category 5 cyclone.
>>>> got inside a 12m/40 ft container for shelter. They all came out
>>>> again unharmed.
>
> I have a shipping container design in my head that got out halfway on
> my previous laptop just before I dropped it down an escalator. :D
>

Sorry to hear about the laptop. You wouldn't have room for a desktop PC in
my basic design. As it happens I haven't taken the detailing too far
because to be quite honest the width at 2.44m / 8 ft is a bit narrow and I
reckon I'd bust a few things trying to live in one.

The drawings so far are available on the link below:

* people.aapt . net .au/jclark19/

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Troppo <troppo19@notsohotmail . com > wrote in
news:Xns9A88D29F9998Dtroppo19notsohotmail@210.8.230.25:

> Warm Worm <user@domain.invalid> wrote in news:fuka95$52i$1@aioe.org:
>
>> Bill wrote:
>>> Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers
>>> that had a 20' space between them.
>>> When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the
>>> containers. Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to
>>> make Hurricane resistant houses.
>>>
>>>>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as
>>>>>> warranted rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab
>>>>>> version?
>>>>> Hi Don,
>>>>>
>>>>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap and
>>>>> the have known structural qualities. These things get lugged
>>>>> on/off ships and roll around the oceans. A few years ago in
>>>>> Western Australia an entire township, in the path of a Category 5
>>>>> cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft container for shelter. They all
>>>>> came out again unharmed.
>>
>> I have a shipping container design in my head that got out halfway on
>> my previous laptop just before I dropped it down an escalator. :D
>>
>
> Sorry to hear about the laptop. You wouldn't have room for a desktop
> PC in my basic design. As it happens I haven't taken the detailing too
> far because to be quite honest the width at 2.44m / 8 ft is a bit
> narrow and I reckon I'd bust a few things trying to live in one.
>
> The drawings so far are available on the link below:
>
> * people.aapt . net .au/jclark19/
>
>

It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers 8' wide?
And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one? How does one
attatch two or more, welding? Do tehy need the roof because they leak, or
is the roof a way to help keep them insulated (shades the top in Summer,
insulates in Winter)? The strudiness fo the containers has been described
in various posts, but how does one anchor them to the ground?

TIA!

- K.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

>>
>>
>
> It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers 8'
> wide?
> And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one? How does one
> attatch two or more, welding? Do tehy need the roof because they leak, or
> is the roof a way to help keep them insulated (shades the top in Summer,
> insulates in Winter)? The strudiness fo the containers has been described
> in various posts, but how does one anchor them to the ground?
>
> TIA!
>
> - K.

If you can imagine removing the side from one end to the other. Then placing
another container 12' away with the length of it's side removed also, you
get some of the idea of the size.
Something like 28' X 40'.

The roof was a truss style roof 3/12 pitch.

The base of each container was welded to the footer that elevated it two
feet off of the ground at each secure point every 8'.

Ended up to be a good size house that looked nothing at all like the
original containers.

I think the company was something like "Tampa Armature works".

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Here is the link for the Bob Vila show.

* w w w .bobvila . com /BVTV/Bob_Vila/Episode-0203.html


>> It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers 8'
>> wide?
>> And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one? How does one
>> attatch two or more, welding? Do tehy need the roof because they leak,
>> or
>> is the roof a way to help keep them insulated (shades the top in Summer,
>> insulates in Winter)? The strudiness fo the containers has been
>> described
>> in various posts, but how does one anchor them to the ground?
>>
>> TIA!
>>
>> - K.
>
> If you can imagine removing the side from one end to the other. Then
> placing another container 12' away with the length of it's side removed
> also, you get some of the idea of the size.
> Something like 28' X 40'.
>
> The roof was a truss style roof 3/12 pitch.
>
> The base of each container was welded to the footer that elevated it two
> feet off of the ground at each secure point every 8'.
>
> Ended up to be a good size house that looked nothing at all like the
> original containers.
>
> I think the company was something like "Tampa Armature works".
>

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

"Bill" <bargerw@bellsouth . net > wrote in
news:urNPj.30750$tG6.1338@bignews1.bellsouth . net :

> Here is the link for the Bob Vila show.
>
> * w w w .bobvila . com /BVTV/Bob_Vila/Episode-0203.html

Interesting, thanks :)


>
>
>>> It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers
>>> 8' wide?
>>> And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one? How does
>>> one attatch two or more, welding? Do tehy need the roof because
>>> they leak, or
>>> is the roof a way to help keep them insulated (shades the top in
>>> Summer, insulates in Winter)? The strudiness fo the containers has
>>> been described
>>> in various posts, but how does one anchor them to the ground?
>>>
>>> TIA!
>>>
>>> - K.
>>
>> If you can imagine removing the side from one end to the other. Then
>> placing another container 12' away with the length of it's side
>> removed also, you get some of the idea of the size.
>> Something like 28' X 40'.
>>
>> The roof was a truss style roof 3/12 pitch.
>>
>> The base of each container was welded to the footer that elevated it
>> two feet off of the ground at each secure point every 8'.
>>
>> Ended up to be a good size house that looked nothing at all like the
>> original containers.
>>
>> I think the company was something like "Tampa Armature works".
>>
>
>
>

Re: Shipping Container Architecture

Kris Krieger <me@dowmuff.in> wrote in
news:YpCdnaYZx7Qv3JPVnZ2dnUVZ_ternZ2d@earthlink . com :

> Troppo <troppo19@notsohotmail . com > wrote in
> news:Xns9A88D29F9998Dtroppo19notsohotmail@210.8.230.25:
>
>> Warm Worm <user@domain.invalid> wrote in news:fuka95$52i$1@aioe.org:
>>
>>> Bill wrote:
>>>> Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers
>>>> that had a 20' space between them.
>>>> When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the
>>>> containers. Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to
>>>> make Hurricane resistant houses.
>>>>
>>>>>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as
>>>>>>> warranted rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab
>>>>>>> version?
>>>>>> Hi Don,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap
>>>>>> and the have known structural qualities. These things get lugged
>>>>>> on/off ships and roll around the oceans. A few years ago in
>>>>>> Western Australia an entire township, in the path of a Category 5
>>>>>> cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft container for shelter. They all
>>>>>> came out again unharmed.
>>>
>>> I have a shipping container design in my head that got out halfway
>>> on my previous laptop just before I dropped it down an escalator. :D
>>>
>>
>> Sorry to hear about the laptop. You wouldn't have room for a desktop
>> PC in my basic design. As it happens I haven't taken the detailing
>> too far because to be quite honest the width at 2.44m / 8 ft is a bit
>> narrow and I reckon I'd bust a few things trying to live in one.
>>
>> The drawings so far are available on the link below:
>>
>> * people.aapt . net .au/jclark19/
>>
>>
>
> It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers 8'
> wide?

There's two designs being talked about in the thread. I used 2.44m +/-
8ft wide as that's the most common width around here (a seaprt) so I
assume its standard.

> And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one?

Exterior

> How does one attatch two or more, welding?

I guess so, but its a big ask and I haven't seen any locally that are
joined. If I did it I think I'd use bolts because I'm no good at welding,
I'd use a sealant on the seams. The seam on the roof would be covered by
the roof.

> Do tehy need the roof because they leak, or is the roof a way to help
keep them insulated (shades the top in Summer, insulates in Winter)?

Yes - the latter. On the ones I've seen the roof would pond water. Roof
with overhangs improves the appearance maybe :-) and provides space for
isulation and wiring. Internal floor to ceiling height is barely minimum
for habitable space so floor covering and ceiling lining needs to be
minimal.

> The strudiness fo the containers has been described in various posts,
> but how does one anchor them to the ground?

They can go on an edge-thickened slab, but as the floor is self-
supporting, a slab is a bit overkill. My solution is three each side,
500mm high, 75mm RHS stumps with flange plates, each with 2 x M12 bolts
fixed through the lifting rails, plus fillet welds maybe. Size of the
concrete stump bases will depend on soil type & condition. Most places
around here 450mm dia, 900 - 1200mm augered hole filled with concrete and
an upstand will hold everything down. Then there's enough crawl space to
put services through the floor and out. No need to insulate the floor
round here, but that would go on the underside.

Here the hot water system can go outside, but for a colder climate a
small 'on demand' system could fit somewhere inside.

Where internal wall lining and insulation is needed, an insulated
container might be the best choice. Some examples I've seen have pre-cut
industrial insulation boards - more expensive, but avoids all the
finishing work.

Re: Shipping Container Architecture


"Troppo" <troppo19@notsohotmail . com > wrote in message
news:Xns9A8A4B5204F7Atroppo19notsohotmail@210.8.230.25...
> Kris Krieger <me@dowmuff.in> wrote in
> news:YpCdnaYZx7Qv3JPVnZ2dnUVZ_ternZ2d@earthlink . com :
>
>> Troppo <troppo19@notsohotmail . com > wrote in
>> news:Xns9A88D29F9998Dtroppo19notsohotmail@210.8.230.25:
>>
>>> Warm Worm <user@domain.invalid> wrote in news:fuka95$52i$1@aioe.org:
>>>
>>>> Bill wrote:
>>>>> Bob Vila did a series in South Florida with two steel containers
>>>>> that had a 20' space between them.
>>>>> When it was done, you could not tell it was made out of the
>>>>> containers. Some outfit out of Tampa is utilizing the containers to
>>>>> make Hurricane resistant houses.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Why not get sheets of corrugated steel and construct them as
>>>>>>>> warranted rather than go through the bother of altering a prefab
>>>>>>>> version?
>>>>>>> Hi Don,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The reason is containers are easy to find, can be bought cheap
>>>>>>> and the have known structural qualities. These things get lugged
>>>>>>> on/off ships and roll around the oceans. A few years ago in
>>>>>>> Western Australia an entire township, in the path of a Category 5
>>>>>>> cyclone. got inside a 12m/40 ft container for shelter. They all
>>>>>>> came out again unharmed.
>>>>
>>>> I have a shipping container design in my head that got out halfway
>>>> on my previous laptop just before I dropped it down an escalator. :D
>>>>
>>>
>>> Sorry to hear about the laptop. You wouldn't have room for a desktop
>>> PC in my basic design. As it happens I haven't taken the detailing
>>> too far because to be quite honest the width at 2.44m / 8 ft is a bit
>>> narrow and I reckon I'd bust a few things trying to live in one.
>>>
>>> The drawings so far are available on the link below:
>>>
>>> * people.aapt . net .au/jclark19/
>>>
>>>
>>
>> It looks like it's a lot like living in an RV. Are all containers 8'
>> wide?
>
> There's two designs being talked about in the thread. I used 2.44m +/-
> 8ft wide as that's the most common width around here (a seaprt) so I
> assume its standard.
>
>> And is that an interior measurement, or an exterior one?
>
> Exterior
>
>> How does one attatch two or more, welding?
>
> I guess so, but its a big ask and I haven't seen any locally that are
> joined. If I did it I think I'd use bolts because I'm no good at welding,
> I'd use a sealant on the seams. The seam on the roof would be covered by
> the roof.
>
>> Do tehy need the roof because they leak, or is the roof a way to help
> keep them insulated (shades the top in Summer, insulates in Winter)?
>
> Yes - the latter. On the ones I've seen the roof would pond water. Roof
> with overhangs improves the appearance maybe :-) and provides space for
> isulation and wiring. Internal floor to ceiling height is barely minimum
> for habitable space so floor covering and ceiling lining needs to be
> minimal.
>
>> The strudiness fo the containers has been described in various posts,
>> but how does one anchor them to the ground?
>
> They can go on an edge-thickened slab, but as the floor is self-
> supporting, a slab is a bit overkill. My solution is three each side,
> 500mm high, 75mm RHS stumps with flange plates, each with 2 x M12 bolts
> fixed through the lifting rails, plus fillet welds maybe. Size of the
> concrete stump bases will depend on soil type & condition. Most places
> around here 450mm dia, 900 - 1200mm augered hole filled with concrete and
> an upstand will hold everything down. Then there's enough crawl space to
> put services through the floor and out. No need to insulate the floor
> round here, but that would go on the underside.
>
> Here the hot water system can go outside, but for a colder climate a
> small 'on demand' system could fit somewhere inside.
>
> Where internal wall lining and insulation is needed, an insulated
> container might be the best choice. Some examples I've seen have pre-cut
> industrial insulation boards - more expensive, but avoids all the
> finishing work.

What does a shipping container weigh and how much do they cost.
My next question would be, How difficult and expensive is it to have one
delivered to a site?