Could you see yourself living in a steel box? If you can
, you must be one of these forward thinking environmentalists who have joined the shipping container home revolution. Thousands of people are already living in container homes. What are container homes? Homes constructed from converted shipping containers. But it is not just homes that shipping containers are now the framework of. Cargo containers are being recycled to make shelters, homes, hostels, office spaces, buildings, hotels and even prisons. .
Did you know that most cargo containers are only used once when shipping goods from one country to another. It is cheaper for a company to buy a new one than have one returned and used again. Many people find this hard to believe, but it is an unfortunate truth....until now
With stockpiles of thousands of cargo containers all over the world a new resource is at our finger tips - building framework. By using discarded shipping containers as the framework for building and house we could potentially save thousands of trees and all the costs, labour and energy used to cut them down and transport them.
While the concept of building homes with used shipping containers is still new to most people container homes started popping up more than 10 years ago. The benefits of using cargo containers is obvious.
Benefits of using cargo containers as the building blocks of a house:
Low cost - a few containers will only set you back a few thousand dollars
Easy to transport - containers were designed to be moved
Strong and durable - they are tough and could last several lifetimes
Weather resistant - can handle extreme weather
Environmental -You will be doing the environment a favor by building with containers.
Build time - The shape and portability of containers make them very easy to build with.
Studying container homes has been a passion of mine for a number of years. They are really taking on with architects and builders creating more and more unique and clever container structures. Building with containers reminds me of my child passion of playing with Lego. All is required is some imagination and willingness to build.
Hopefully it will nott be too long before every discarded container on the planet is used to provide housing or shelter to those who need it most. Container homes have recently provided shelters for survivors of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster.