Shipping Containers – The World’s Most Sustainable Restaurants

Shipping containers are a perfect solution for setting up a pop-up restaurant. As we already covered in our blog about container stores, container restaurants can be installed almost everywhere and they are very likely to gather a lot of crowd. Some very well know companies have already set up a mobile restaurant.

In 2010, the sandwich company Subway had a shipping container restaurant on top of the five story Freedom Tower in New York. Subway established the restaurant for the construction workers who would otherwise have needed 45 minutes to get down from the construction. The containers had the Subway logo on a yellow background and the flag of the USA that represented the recovering from 9/11 and the resurrection of the American Dream. (source)

Shipping containers are also a form of sustainable building and offer an eco-friendly and a low-cost solution for starting restaurants.  One of the world’s best coffee shops, Starbucks, has also used shipping containers and build such an eco-friendly drive-thru cafe in Seattle. Alongside with shipping containers, the architecture also enables the collecting of rainwater and thereby lowering water consumption. (source)

In 2011, the people of London, Moscow, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi, Dubai and Sydney had a chance to enjoy traditional Singaporean food that was offered form a shipping container restaurant. Thanks for shipping container’s mobility the Singapore Takeout was able to serve people in these cities within 12 months. (source)

As a new business idea, shipping container restaurants are an ideal low-cost choice. During these hard times in the economy, people who have always wanted start an own restaurant, but feel the lack of enough capital seem to have found a solution.

Shanghai Metal Corporation has a wide variety of containers including 20 ft, 40 ft, reefer containers and open top containers to name but a few. For more details, please visit our website or send us an inquiry from here. Please also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inthrald, Weburbanist, Urban Times, Inhabitat, Inhabitat, Westphoria

Beautiful Luxury Hotels Under the Sea

Is anybody worried about global warming? Due to rises of average temperatures, the polar ices are melting. At its extreme the world could turn into a planet as described in Kevin Costner‘s movie, the Water World where people are forced to live on floating platforms as all the habitable areas are under the risen sea level. Wouldn’t it be good to plan human underwater residences in advance? The hotel industry has taken the first steps.

Probably the world’s smallest underwater hotel and one of the road builders of the underwater architecture industry, The Utter Inn, is located in the Lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden. The hotel is a cabin complex that has an outdoor patio and an underwater sleeping berth capsule three meters under the water level. The cabin system is designed for two people and can be rented for $165 a night (source).

A Swedish company has also designed an underwater hotel that operates four meters under water surface in the eastern coast of Africa in an island called Pemba. The Genberg Underwater Hotels‘ design of the Manta Resort allows people to sleep in a deep blue ocean while the the capsules custom designed underwater spotlights attract various sea creatures to mesmerize the residents (source).

The island of Fiji is implementing an underwater hotel project. Poseidon Underwater Resorts is going to be opened in a 5,000 acre lagoon 40 feet under sea level. The resort is stated to be “the world’s first permanent one-atmosphere sea floor structure and world’s first true undersea resort”. The Poseidon will have 24 suites with an area of 550 square feet. Customers can also enjoy literature in a library, relax in a spa or even get married in an underwater wedding chapel. One week is estimated to cost about US $30,000 per customer.(source)

Probably the most insane construction project the world has ever witnessed is going to be implemented in Dubai. Dubai’s previous project to build an underwater city of Hydropolis in 2006 did not take off as expected but now a Polish firm Deep Ocean Technology has come up with the concept of the Water Discus Hotel. It will be comprised of a series of scifi-styled discs that have 21 floors below sea level.

The offers its customers a beautiful view to the Persian Gulf from two-person bedrooms. In addition to the unusual accommodation, the proposed hotel is to include a diving center, underwater tourist vehicles, a spa, garden areas, an above-water terrace, and a helipad for guests. (source)

 

The construction and real estate industry have found their extremes today from the oceans and from space. While the world witnesses these gorgeous buildings to be built, the traditional construction industry keeps steadily on going on ground. As one of its pioneers, Shanghai Metal Corporation strives for premium quality in its construction projects. For more information about our projects, please visit our website and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). How about scanning also our QR code?

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles:  Inhabitat, Inhabitat, Hotel Chatter, Designboom, Humble Homes

Hydrate with Stainless Steel Water Bottles

Like many of us, you probably have heard of BPA-free plastics. It is almost close to impossible to not have. In many stores and grocery chains, there is a great chance that consumers will come across BPA-free water bottles, bowls, spoons, cups, etc. Most individuals will try to avoid BPA, which is the abbreviation for Bisphenol A.

Skeletal Structure of Bisphenol A

Who can blame them? Bisphenol A is a dangerous and toxic chemical to humans. BPA can cause cancer, brain impairment, and many other serious illnesses and complications. Unfortunately for us, BPA has been used and is still being used to make a variety of plastics and epoxy resins.

Molecular Structure of Bisphenol A

Why do companies use BPA based plastics? BPA-based plastic is clear and sturdy, which is then used to make an assortment of common consumer goods. These products include water bottles, CDs, bowls, sports equipment, DVDs, etc. BPA based epoxy resins are used as coatings on the inside of many food and beverage cans. They are also used to line water pipes and in making thermal paper. Thermal paper is used to make objects that you may come across everyday or every week such as sales receipts.

You may think that you are being safe by buying BPA-free water bottles, but SMC wants you to think again. BPA-free water bottles could be just as detrimental to the health of human beings as old BPA-based water bottles. How come? Objects that are free of BPA often contain other chemicals that behave in almost the same way. These other chemicals may leach into foods and drinks without the consumer knowing. Once the body absorbs these chemicals, they mimic the sex hormones. For example, they mimic estrogen, which may increase the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, infertility, and reproductive problems.

Be aware that BPA is not the only dangerous chemicals. The chemical, phthalates, is being used to soften plastics. Studies have suggested that phthalates were correlated to a reduction in male fertility for as much as 20 percent. Phthalates has been used as early as the 1950s.

What is one easy way to decrease your exposure to BPA and other toxic chemicals based products? Use STAINLESS STEEL water bottles. Make sure that the cap of the bottle is free of plastics. Otherwise, you may be hydrating with toxic chemicals. Stainless Steel water bottles are tough, durable, reliable, and easy to clean. Make sure to invest in a quality bottle in which you will never have to worry about fluids leaking or the cap unscrewing.

An example of a Stainless Steel Water Bottle

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