Container Micro Homes Will Revolutionize Affordable Housing

Shipping Container architecture is getting branded as the synonym of affordable housing and sustainable living. Containers are a really low-cost and durable material that has caught the attention of designers and architects worldwide. Shipping containers can be easily modified. They can be stacked, flipped or welded together in different angles. Still, for creating a nice apartment, as these examples show, only one container is enough.

For instance an Australian firm Nova Deko Modular has presented one of their stylish designs in Milan. Their single-container prefabricated house is a compact and space saving solution that optimizes all the space-use inside a 40 ft shipping container. The interior design includes e.g. folding aluminum and glass doors that help to save space. They sell the prefab house for about US$ 34,000 excluding the shipping costs. (via Inhabitat)

Atelier Workshop’s Port-a-Bach is a shipping container micro-home on wheels. The house is designed to be easily moved to different locations and to accommodate two adults and two children. This portable, secure and relatively inexpensive helps to save costs also in the long run by utilization of solar power, wind turbines and by letting a lot of natural light to get indoors. (via Inhabitat)

Golany Architects‘ solution shows how a shipping container house can be well integrated in a natural environment. The site where they wanted to install the house already had two pine trees. Instead of cutting the trees down, they used the trees as shown in the picture above. The trees now support this rustic tree house by offering a natural source of air conditioning and protection from excessive sun light. (via Inhabitat)

Modular, affordable and space saving homes that can easily be integrated into their surrounding environment. That’s what shipping container houses are! We in Shanghai Metal Corporation also sell these houses. Please visit our website for more specifications or contact us through this form. Please also follow us in our social media channels.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

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How to Conquer the Challenges of Shipping Container Architecture?

In our previous articles about shipping containers and shipping container architecture, we have highlighted the benefits of container constructions and explained why they are a superior building material. Of course there are also disadvantages, but luckily, they can be conquered easily.

Shipping containers are a modular construction material that gives architects only  a limited number of restrictions. One of the questions many builders ask is “how to do proper roofing on shipping container houses?”. Shipping containers are designed to hold heavy loads on their four pillars so the roof itself cannot hold much weight. Fortunately, the modularity also implies that shipping containers can be combined other building materials such as roofing sheets and metal tubes. Roofing is an easy task as described in the article of container shelters.

Another thing people are worried is how shipping container houses can resist humidity. Again, there are examples of shipping containers with great ventilation and insulation systems. They even make saunas out of shipping containers! Shipping containers are made of steel that absorbs heat. Still, for instance the shipping container cruise terminal in Seville maintains cool temperatures even during extremely hot summers. The natural ventilation system can be easily done by welding which is a relatively cheap procedure.

Even insulation is not a problem. As mentioned in our article about container winter housing, shipping containers do fit in cold areas as well. The insulation can be done by glass wool or preferably by using insulating spray foam. Also the pillars in each corner allow builders to design a  platform that prevents the building from touching the ground.

Some people prefer using recycled shipping containers because they are lower priced and have a higher supply compared to new ones. However, shipping containers might take some damage and get some cargo spillages. Therefore each time the containers should be checked and perhaps painted with nontoxic paint. Also the their indoor hygiene should be assured before implementing interial design.

In some areas, getting building permits for shipping container houses might be troublesome. However, due to containers’ massive media exposure and their brand as an eco-friendly solution for affordable housing, the municipalities and decision makers will eventually be forced to accept the utilization of this superior construction material.

This super material can be easily purchased from Shanghai Metal Corporation. Just send us an inquiry and our English speaking experienced staff will guide you through the process. We ship containers and prefabricated container buildings worldwide. You may check our offering in our website. Check also our social media platforms for future updates.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Wikipedia on Shipping Container Architecture, Shipping Container House Design, House Decor Design

Dream Home Furnishing With IKEA’s Very Affordable Little Helper

If you ask any present college student or graduate where they bought their furniture while at school, odds are IKEA is high up on that list. As of January 2008, IKEA became the world’s largest furniture retailer thanks to their product management, placement and quality given to their customers. IKEA’s product lines range from your everyday table spoon and doorknobs to larger media furniture, sofas, and full furnished kitchens. With style and functionality at it’s forth front, IKEA needed a material that would both look aesthetically pleasing with their items and durable-stainless steel was the answer.

Using China as the main example; out of their 2615 products on sale, 544 have in one way shape or form stainless steel. With over 20% of their products in China containing stainless steel, it’s a great thing that most of IKEA’s stainless steel articles are sourced from Asia, including China at 90%, Taiwan and Korea with the final 10%. The ability to adapt stainless steel on their existing products gave them that hint of style they needed.

With IKEA’s popularity at a world’s recognition, they have attracted new and modern designers. The ability for these designers to use stainless steel in their products has helped promote IKEA product as not just functional but stylish, as well as potentially raise their revenue. With some products, consumers have a choice of whether or not to include stainless steel in their product. For example, you could buy a bed frame and keep the wooden legs that it comes with, or opt to spend $20 more on those stainless steel legs which makes your bed look better. At the end of the day more people choose to spend just a little bit more to make their bed look sleeker and better looking.

The example of the bed legs is just one small one, but it shows the significance a small change can make. Stainless steel has absolutely helped IKEA pave the way to different markets with their high quality and affordable products.

It is this same idea of affordability and quality that we here at Shanghai Metal Corporation bring to the table with your stainless steel needs. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on  LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Sources: Ikea, Stainless Steel Report  SMC stainless steel pipe

Mario B.//SMC Editor

Read more articles by this author here.

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Container Houses – The Next Big American Dream

The container housing industry is becoming mainstream as it is now a sub category of affordable housing. Building a home out of shipping containers enables also medium income consumers to hire an architect in a very reasonable price. Thereby, container homes might be the next American dream.

Companies have also noticed the advantages of container housing. For instance Starbucks has already installed its container coffee shops in Seattle and London. Container homes also come with a pretty nice design.

One of the benefits of shipping containers is their modularity. They are made as same sized and designed to be piled up and fit optimally in cargo ships. Containers are like Lego blocks. You can pile them up and thereby even create a multiple floor or a multiple wing mansion.

Shipping containers are also designed to be able to resist rough weather in seas. Thereby they are made of really durable and tough material that ensure the safety of a container home. In addition, the material is really simple to modify. Cutting, reforming and other modifications are done by welding which is a simple and cheap procedure. Building a nice patio with a jacuzzi is suddenly affordable.

Also one great thing about containers is that their are available in all all over the world and their transportation is extremely convenient. Containers are designed to fit in a standard shipping cargo leaving no blank space in the ships. Because of the new mainstream use of containers, their weight-to-value ratio is to increase.

The benefits of container homes have been recognized worldwide. For instance, in Finland, container housing is becoming a great solution for offering affordable student homes. Please read about more the Finns’ solution to student housing in our blog. Also the world’s hotel industry is going wild of containers as new companies offering transportable accomodation solutions emerge. Container hotels is also in a luxury top-end category in the hotel industry. Please read more about luxury container hotels here.

China is a major exporter of shipping containers and Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in that field. To know more about our container houses, villas, hotels and offices, please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Smartplanet.com, Ecopressptc.com, Inthralld.com, Homedsgn.com, Buzzfeed.com, Bobvila.com, Australian Council of Trade Unions,  Wikipedia, Prefabfan.com