The humble shipping container revolutionized international trade 60 years ago, and now it's getting a second life in architecture. This residential building designed by Adam Kalkin, was built in Blue Hill, Maine in 2003.
Adam Kalkin - "12 Container House" (2003) —
The humble shipping container revolutionized international trade 60 years ago, and now it's getting a second life in architecture. This residential building designed by Adam Kalkin, was built in Blue Hill, Maine in 2003.
Adam Kalkin
"We built the 12 container house for some friends on the shore in Maine. It is the first container project to showcase large volumes of space with impermanent boundaries between inside and out," said Kalkin in an email interview.<br /><br />
Adam Kalkin - "12 Container House" (2003) —
"We built the 12 container house for some friends on the shore in Maine. It is the first container project to showcase large volumes of space with impermanent boundaries between inside and out," said Kalkin in an email interview.
Adam Kalkin
Bunny Lane is an aircraft hangar installed over a 19th-century cottage: "Bunny Lane is a family home full of contradictions, a mash up of appropriated architectures which creates all sorts of interesting juxtapositions and celebrates the differences," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin - "Bunny Lane" (2001) —
Bunny Lane is an aircraft hangar installed over a 19th-century cottage: "Bunny Lane is a family home full of contradictions, a mash up of appropriated architectures which creates all sorts of interesting juxtapositions and celebrates the differences," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin
The property sits on three acres of land in New Jersey.
Adam Kalkin - "Bunny Lane" (2001) —
The property sits on three acres of land in New Jersey.
Adam Kalkin
This residential building uses two rows of containers. "The Old Lady House is a super tight plan which gives the feeling of a European apartment or a boat. Everything is built in and organized, like a well designed piece of furniture. One or four people could live in it comfortably. It makes containers seems unreasonably cozy," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin - "Old Lady House" (2011) —
This residential building uses two rows of containers. "The Old Lady House is a super tight plan which gives the feeling of a European apartment or a boat. Everything is built in and organized, like a well designed piece of furniture. One or four people could live in it comfortably. It makes containers seems unreasonably cozy," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin
The house is located in Califon, New Jersey.
Adam Kalkin - "Old Lady House" (2011) —
The house is located in Califon, New Jersey.
Adam Kalkin
This hydraulic-powered room in a container was first unveiled at the Venice Biennale in 2007. "The Push Button House was our first foray into robotics and computer controlled architecture. Combined with its inherent mobility, we see our Push Button architectures moving in the direction of autonomous cars and cars moving in the direction of robotic architecture," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin - "Push Button House" (2007) —
This hydraulic-powered room in a container was first unveiled at the Venice Biennale in 2007. "The Push Button House was our first foray into robotics and computer controlled architecture. Combined with its inherent mobility, we see our Push Button architectures moving in the direction of autonomous cars and cars moving in the direction of robotic architecture," said Kalkin.
Adam Kalkin
Considered by many as the first proper container house built in the US, the Redondo Beach House was the first earthquake-resistant container home to comply with the National Building Code.
Peter DeMaria - "Redondo Beach House" (2006) —
Considered by many as the first proper container house built in the US, the Redondo Beach House was the first earthquake-resistant container home to comply with the National Building Code.
DeMaria Design
"When the project was designed, there were many one story container sheds, barns and a handful of single story buildings that were constructed in the States - some with absolutely no permits. The significance of the Redondo Beach House was that it's two-story structure, in earthquake prone Southern California, complied with the National Building Code. The project was fully in compliance with the code and that had not happened in the past," said designer Peter DeMaria in an email interview.
Peter DeMaria - "Redondo Beach House" (2006) —
"When the project was designed, there were many one story container sheds, barns and a handful of single story buildings that were constructed in the States - some with absolutely no permits. The significance of the Redondo Beach House was that it's two-story structure, in earthquake prone Southern California, complied with the National Building Code. The project was fully in compliance with the code and that had not happened in the past," said designer Peter DeMaria in an email interview.
DeMaria Design
This live/work hybrid structure is built using 14 shipping containers in Venice, California.
Peter DeMaria - "Green on Main" (2014) —
This live/work hybrid structure is built using 14 shipping containers in Venice, California.
DeMaria Design
The structure is designed to be energy efficient, and rainwater is collected from the roof.
Peter DeMaria - "Green on Main" (2014) —
The structure is designed to be energy efficient, and rainwater is collected from the roof.
DeMaria Design
China's People's Architecture Office (PAO) designed this structure for the Northern province of Shanxi.
PAO - Container Stack Pavillion (2016) —
China's People's Architecture Office (PAO) designed this structure for the Northern province of Shanxi.
PAO
Madrid's Fenwick Iribarren Architects plan to build one of FIFA's 2022 World Cup in Qatar with 1,000 containers.
Fenwick Iribarrren - "Ras Abu Aboud" (2022) —
Madrid's Fenwick Iribarren Architects plan to build one of FIFA's 2022 World Cup in Qatar with 1,000 containers.
Fenwick Iribarren
The containers can be used after the event to dismantle the stadium and ship it elsewhere.
Fenwick Iribarrren - "Ras Abu Aboud" (2022) —
The containers can be used after the event to dismantle the stadium and ship it elsewhere.
Fenwick Iribarren
"It's very ecological, the container is almost like a modern day brick, so it's an ideal building block, it does allow an amazing amount of possibilities in commercial and residential architecture," said designer Mark Fenwick.
Fenwick Iribarrren - "Ras Abu Aboud" (2022) —
"It's very ecological, the container is almost like a modern day brick, so it's an ideal building block, it does allow an amazing amount of possibilities in commercial and residential architecture," said designer Mark Fenwick.
Fenwick Iribarren
This home by London's Whitaker Studio will be built in the California desert in 2018.
Whitaker Studio - "Joshua Tree Residence" (2017) —
This home by London's Whitaker Studio will be built in the California desert in 2018.
Whitaker Studio
"The images show a deliberately sparse interior as they were created to discuss the design with the client. I wanted to concentrate the conversation on the architecture and the spaces, rather than details such as chairs and rugs," said designer James Whitaker in a phone interview.
Whitaker Studio - "Joshua Tree Residence" (2017) —
"The images show a deliberately sparse interior as they were created to discuss the design with the client. I wanted to concentrate the conversation on the architecture and the spaces, rather than details such as chairs and rugs," said designer James Whitaker in a phone interview.
Whitaker Studio
The Joshua Tree Residence was inspired by a previous work by the same architect: this low-cost workplace in the Black Forest, Germany, designed for an advertising agency in 2010.
Whitaker Studio - "Hechingen Studio" —
The Joshua Tree Residence was inspired by a previous work by the same architect: this low-cost workplace in the Black Forest, Germany, designed for an advertising agency in 2010.
Whitaker Studio
Built in response to the growing demand for student accommodation in Copenhagen, the Urban Rigger is a stack of 9 containers which create 12 studio residences around a centralized garden.
BIG - "Urban Rigger" (2016) —
Built in response to the growing demand for student accommodation in Copenhagen, the Urban Rigger is a stack of 9 containers which create 12 studio residences around a centralized garden.
BIG
The structure is buoyant, like a boat, so it can be replicated in other harbor cities as well.
BIG - "Urban Rigger" (2016) —
The structure is buoyant, like a boat, so it can be replicated in other harbor cities as well.
BIG
Boxpark Shoreditch, one of the world's first container-based pop-up malls, opened in East London in 2011. "People thought I was crazy, I was building a multi-million dollar development and we were only going to put it on the site on a temporary basis, that's not traditional property, we were coming from a completely different perspective. We were breaking the mold on how you build a retail development, and in the end the math added up, by the time we paid back the structure and collected the rent, there was a small profit for us," said Boxpark founder Roger Wade in a phone interview.
Boxpark Shoreditch (2011) —
Boxpark Shoreditch, one of the world's first container-based pop-up malls, opened in East London in 2011. "People thought I was crazy, I was building a multi-million dollar development and we were only going to put it on the site on a temporary basis, that's not traditional property, we were coming from a completely different perspective. We were breaking the mold on how you build a retail development, and in the end the math added up, by the time we paid back the structure and collected the rent, there was a small profit for us," said Boxpark founder Roger Wade in a phone interview.
Boxpark
A second Boxpark opened in Croydon, South London, in 2016. A third one is slated to open in Wembley, North London, in 2018.
Boxpark Croydon (2016) —
A second Boxpark opened in Croydon, South London, in 2016. A third one is slated to open in Wembley, North London, in 2018.
Boxpark
East London's Containerville is a stack of 45 container units (a third row has been added since this photo was taken) aimed at start-ups and small businesses, costing £1,000 a month, or about $1,400.
Estate Office Shoreditch - "Containerville" (2014) —
East London's Containerville is a stack of 45 container units (a third row has been added since this photo was taken) aimed at start-ups and small businesses, costing £1,000 a month, or about $1,400.
Jacopo Prisco
A transportable retail building for Puma was designed by NYC/Naples firm Lot-ek in 2008 in Alicante, Spain.
Lot-EK - "Puma City" (2008) —
A transportable retail building for Puma was designed by NYC/Naples firm Lot-ek in 2008 in Alicante, Spain.
Courtesy Danny Bright
A student housing block in Le Havre, France, offering 100 apartments from recycled shipping containers.
Cattani Architects - "Cité A Docks" (2010) —
A student housing block in Le Havre, France, offering 100 apartments from recycled shipping containers.
Courtesy Vincent Fillon / Atelier Cattani Architectes
A proposed, outlandish 'Containerscraper' design from CRG Architects would use shipping containers to provide housing for around 5,000 inhabitants of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India.
CRG Architects - "Containerscraper" —
A proposed, outlandish 'Containerscraper' design from CRG Architects would use shipping containers to provide housing for around 5,000 inhabitants of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India.
CRG architects
Intermodal shipping containers showing the logo of Maersk, the largest shipping company in the world, on the docks of Le Havre's harbor in France. Some of Maersk's containers still bear the word "Sealand," the company founded by the inventor of the container Malcolm McLean.
Actual shipping containers —
Intermodal shipping containers showing the logo of Maersk, the largest shipping company in the world, on the docks of Le Havre's harbor in France. Some of Maersk's containers still bear the word "Sealand," the company founded by the inventor of the container Malcolm McLean.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/AFP/Getty Images