Container Observatory – The Best Place for First Date!

Shipping containers can be converted into various kinds of buildings ranging from homes to hotels. They can also be fit into their surrounding environment. A sunset observatory in South Korea’s Incheon makes a good example.

A Korean company named  AnL Studio, has created “Ocean Scope”, an observatory for enjoying the sunset and admiring the horizon in a romantic setting. The structure is built on five shipping containers that are placed on different heights. The containers are also placed on 10, 30, 50 degree angles offering visitors different points-of-view. The containers are equipped with staircases.

In South Korea, many shipping containers are used as temporary shelters in rural areas. The containers do their purpose as shelters but still, they are not harmonized with the surrounding nature. Ocean Scope is one of those examples that show how container architecture can build a dialogue with nature.

Fitting container buildings into their surroundings is a relatively easy task. Due to their simple steel structure, container houses are mainly modified by cutting and welding that are not really labour-intensive operations. Incheon’s observatory’s stair design and the positioning of containers show what can be done with welding and cutting.

Shipping containers are designed to hold heavy weight only on their four corner pillars so excess weight on them might be very damaging. Therefore, roofing is always a challenge with container buildings. Our article on containers shelters describes one roofing solution, but the observatory shows how it can be done more conveniently. The containers are put on different angles allowing rainwater and snow pour down from them. How smart!

Shipping containers are a durable material and today’s main component for affordable and sustainable architecture. We in Shanghai Metal Corporation sell this super construction material internationally. To learn more about our containers, please visit our website. Possible inquiries can be submitted through this link. Please visit our social media sites.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, Dezeen

    

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Container Architecture – A Dialogue with Nature

Shipping containers are superior building material that enables people to build safe, durable and environmentally friendly homes with with a relatively small capital. Thanks to strong pillars in their four corners, shipping containers can be piled into high complexes. One aspect that has not gained that much attention is that shipping containers can be easily adjusted with their natural surroundings.

Shipping container architecture tries to use containers as wisely as possible in order to minimize users’ costs also after the installation process. Usually shipping container buildings are equipped with solar panels enabling the utilization of sustainable and green energy. For instance the Coca-Cola Company has installed solar-powered kiosks to many developing countries.

Shipping containers are not only modular but also adjustable. The material sets only a limited amount of limitations for designers and architects. Shipping containers can have various door solutions. Open-top containers can even be used to create swimming pools.

Because of the simple steel structure of shipping containers, only welding is needed to modify their structure. Because shipping containers are designed to carry heavy loads only on their corner pillars, roofing needs to be done with special care. You can read some tips about roofing for container shelters here.

Container houses can be built to be naturally illuminated and naturally ventilated what brings the maintenance costs down to minimum. (More details can be found through references.)They can also be implemented to be resistant of heat, just like Seville shipping container cruise terminal that does not get hot even during hot summers.

Shipping container architecture is going mainstream as more people engage in building homes, hotels, offices, entertainment centers or even private summer residences out of shipping containers. We in Shanghai Metal Corporation offer many kinds of shipping containers for industries to use. If you are interested in buying shipping containers, please send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will give you guidance. For technical specifications please visit our website. Please also follow us on our social media platforms.

    

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Details about the container houses in the pictures : Home Edit, Inhabitat, Inthralld

Shipping Container Architecture – One of Those Accidental Innovations

There is one factor that is common to shipping container houses, Coca-Cola, Play-Doh and corn flakes. Just like a falling apple whose hit made sir Isaac Newton discover his laws of physics, all of these products were also discovered unintentionally. For instance Coca-Cola was meant to be a medical remedy for headaches, but as we all know, the pharmacist John Pemberton‘s chemical experiment in 1886 became another sort of refreshment.

In today’s world’s constant pressure towards innovation,  the most valuable discoveries can simply be found by accident, experiment or even emotion. For example potato chips were invented in 1853 by an angry chef George Crum who became so sick of  customers complaining about his fried potatoes that he prepared them fried slices instead. Surprisingly the customers did like the new dish and the rest is history.

Play-Doh was discovered in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker who attempted to make an ingredient for cleaning wallpapers. A year later a toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts started marketing the product and since then, the toy with a secret recipe has sold over 700 million US dollars.

Corn Flakes were invented by accident when the Kellog brothers John and Will accidentally left a pot of boiled wheat grain on the stove for several days. The mixture turned moldy but the product that emerged was dry and thick. Next they tried it with corn so corn flakes were created.

Shipping containers were invented and patented by Malcolm McLean, a trucker who was tired of the slow process of loading cargo in wooden crates. His invention really helped industries to save shipping costs. In 1956, loose cargo cost $5.86 per ton to load, but the use of ISO shipping containers lowered the costs down to 0.16 cents.

In 1987 Philip C. Clark saw shipping containers from another perspective and filed them a US patent for converting them into habitable building. He has once said that “Shipping containers can be so much more; they could be houses, schools, entire cities!”. Later on, many companies have implemented this idea.

Shanghai Metal Corporation is a mature builder of prefabricated and container buildings. We do business worldwide and are highly motivated in serving our international clients. If you are looking for container building solution, please visit our website or just send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will guide you further. Meanwhile please visit our social media sites.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Pictures and original articles: It’s Coca Cola in Blogspot, ISBU, Boxman Studios, The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, Inc.com, Business Insider, How Stuff Works?, Landi’s Labyrint in Blogspot, Pixellogo, Container Home, WordPress, Eagle Coatings

Cruise Ships Resting in Container Haven

A new application for shipping containers was invented as the design companies Hombre de Piedra and  buró4 built a cruise terminal out of shipping containers in the port of Seville in 2013. The container terminal is to let the passengers of the city’s river cruises to get on and off the ships.

They only needed 45 days in total to finish the project. Installing 23 shipping containers in a 500 square meter area took only two weeks. Therefore the installation costs were not high just like the terminal’s energy production costs. The terminal is naturally ventilated and it can be easily moved if necessary. The buildings’ bioclimatic solutions also ensure that it does not get hot in the terminal during Seville’s hot summers.

What’s more, the cruise terminal is designed to fit in the surrounding environment giving this piece of cargotecture a natural touch. A dialogue with the urban environment was an important objective for the project and thereby shipping containers were an obvious choice for the building material.

The city of Seville wanted a terminal that was able to handle ships with varying number of passengers sailing on the river Guadalquivir. Thanks to the use of shipping containers, the cruise terminal is also extendable allowing the agile installation of new docking pods.

In prefabricated architecture the present trends is to use shipping containers because they offer various benefits with only limited costs. Container architecture, i.e., cargotecture is a big part of today’s sustainable architecture industry. There will be more homes, hotels ect. that will be built on this super building material. Like the cruise terminal in Seville, other cargotectural innovations will emerge.

 

Shanghai Metal Corporation welcomes businesses all over the world to purchase our internationally standardized shipping containers. Our English speaking staff in Shanghai will guide you and consult you in finding the best products for your needs. Just send us an inquiry and we will get back to you. You can also take a look at our website for further details. Please also check our social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, Hombre de Piedra, Buro4