These aluminum or steel boxes are designed to withstand harsh ocean-going conditions, over and over, and yet can be cheaply bought on the “used” market. Inherently strong, they’re designed to be stacked, fully-loaded, up to nine-high!
Considering such attributes, a number of architects and designers have espoused creating housing structures out of containers, especially since they are so easily-portable. Once completed, your converted shipping container could be shipped and/or trucked virtually anywhere in the world, so you could always bring your home with you, wherever you traveled.
Of course, there are certain issues to be overcome with such use of these intermodal containers. For example, in a used one, pesticide may have built up on the floor from repeated sprayings. Also, insulation, windows, and other niceties will have to be installed, and done in such a way as not to significantly weaken the structure. But for a measly $1600 U.S. to buy a used container, you can’t beat the price. (See this article in businessweek.com.)
And in a place like Florida, a properly anchored container might even provide a decent hurricane shelter.
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About Me
- Tom Owens
- I'm interested in nature, technology, and the human interface between the two. I see anthropocentrism (often combined with ethnocentrism and/or excessive religious fervor) as probably the most damaging human mindset, at least environmentally-speaking. A great goal of mine is to inspire a love of nature in people. I believe we will all benefit if everyone can create a bond with other organisms and feel the connectedness of all life on our planet. We all have to realize that humans are not separate from the rest of nature.
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