Afghanistan’s Future Is Built on Skateboards and Containers

As we’ve already covered in our blogs, shipping containers can be used to build high-end homes, hotels, villas, restaurants you name it. Due to their low prices, shipping containers are especially good for low income areas. They have even built a shipping container skate park in Afganistan.

The mega shipping container skate park will be built by an international NGO Skateistan that uses skateboarding as a tool for youth outreach in both Afghanistan and Cambodia. The most recent skate park in Mazar-e-Sharif is an educational safe have for children.The 6000 square meter educational and sport complex was built out of repurposed shipping containers and other locally sourced materials to host 1,000 local children on a weekly basis.

Afghanistan’s skate park is not actually one of its kind in developing container-based education in developing countries. For example Apple‘s rival the Korean electronics chaebol Samsung has also used shipping containers to build  schools in South Africa. In Indonesia they have even build shipping container libraries.

It is yet unfold whether the skate park grows the future’s Tony Hawks or even enhances Afganistan’s economy but for the well-being and sophistication of local children the shipping container skate park is in a big role.

Shipping containers are a superior tool for businesses to actualize their corporate social responsibility programs as well as to spread culture and a high level of sophistication to developing countries. In general, we do not have many tools for helping the ones in need but shipping containers are a practical solution.

If you are planning to use shipping containers, please contact us in Shanghai Metal Corporation. We ship standardized shipping containers worldwide and compile prefabricated container buildings for customers needs. For detailed specifications, please visit our website. Please also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, Skateistan

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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

Coca Cola Saves Lives with Shipping Containers!

One of the world’s most valuable brands Coca-Cola is utilizing shipping containers in its corporate social responsibility program in developing countries within the bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) category. Together with Deka R&D and other major investors including UPS and IBM, the beverage company is installing container kiosks that will provide drinkable water for three billion people in the world that suffer from the lack of it.

These Ekocenters are to provide purified water for communities that have a limited access to safe drinking water. The modularly designed kiosk is made out of a 20 ft shipping container. The container is empowered with Slingshot technology that is responsible for the purification of water.

 

The kiosk is also meant to generate entrepreneurship in developing countries, especially among women. Along with these kiosks Coca-Cola has also launched their 5by20 program that aims to generate 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2020.

As discussed in our previous article about container shops, setting a container kiosk is a considerable business also in developed countries. Coca-Cola has redeveloped the concept and is now using the Ekocenters for offering locally tailored mix of products, services and resources that also include sustainable energy, wireless communications, refrigerated vaccination storage, health education, and other functionality to jump-start entrepreneurship opportunities and community development.

This CSR project begun in 2013 as Coca-Cola set up its first Ekocenter in South Africa. The company aims to install 1,500 to 2,000 Ekocenters by 2015 in Africa, Asia and the Latin and North America.

As shipping containers gain more ways of use, we in Shanghai Metal Corporation are also becoming happier in offering our international customers high-quality standardized shipping containers. For details about our large variety of products, please visit our website or just send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will contact you. Meanwhile please remember to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Company Press Release, Food and Beverage News,  Designboom, 3BL Media, Expok News