Shipping Container Architecture

Shipping container architecture is one of the biggest (relatively) new things in building these days.

With the low cost, environmentally friendliness, and availability of the materials, it’s no wonder that more and more architects are getting turned on to the possibilities of shipping containers. They’re perfect for more than just building houses; they are also the ideal material for low-cost communal and emergency housing. For dorms, urban apartments, jails and emergency shelters, shipping containers provide an ideal jumping-off point. We’ve already seen some of the most incredible single-family shipping container homes out there; now here’s a look at some of the best group housing solutions using steel shipping containers.

Balancing the utilitarian industrial history of shipping containers with the comfort demands of the modern home dweller can’t be easy, but Keith Dewey of Zigloo made it look natural with the Zigloo Domestique. He decided not to paint the exterior like a traditional house, but rather to leave it the seafoam green that’s characteristic of many shipping containers. The fence around the house is made of deconstructed shipping container panels, giving a smooth yet industrial flow to the entire property.

The biggest and strongest earth screws and helical anchers are perfect for foundation of container structures.