Shipping containers are made to be durable. Because of their strength they are also an ideal building material that can be used to build safe homes. Actually, the safety level of shipping containers is so high that they can be used also to build prisons and shelters.
In Australia’s Victoria, the local government is establishing a prison system of 50 containers. Victoria is an area of overcrowded prisons, and therefore containers bring an excellent solution for the problem. Australia is planning to apply the same solution in other areas as well.
Victoria’s prisons are meant for medium-security prisoners. The next question could be, taken the fact that shipping containers are as they are, how can one increase their security level? Modifying the prisons environment would be the only option. Setting up an Alcatraz style prison in the middle of an area of water area would work. That is actually something that can also be implemented with containers.
Shipping containers, with some modifications, can also become protective underground shelters for natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The most important modification is roofing.
Even though containers’ walls are designed to resist rough weather even in extreme conditions, most people like to bury their container bases in order to make it invisible. Still, one needs to take into consideration that the containers’ steel roofs are not made to last heavy loads. Containers are designed to lie on their four strong corners. So therefore, after digging a hole for the container one should design a frame that supports adding a gabion basket on the container. The gabion basket filled with rocks will protect the container. See original articles for more details.
Where the containers’ exterior surrounding has some limitations, the interior design is basically free for users’ own imagination. Today some containers come with a generator and bathroom solutions making the containers livable apartments.
Shipping containers, prefabricated container houses and other construction material can be purchased from Shanghai Metal Corporation. See our webpages for more information. Feel free to send us any questions through this form. Check also our social media channels for future updates.
Tuomas P. // SMC Editor
Continue to Chapter 12.
Pictures and Original articles: Rawlinsons.co.nz, Sourceable.net,Theage.com.au, Abc.net.au, Asiapacific.anu.edu.au, Greenbiz.com,Daily Mail, Odt.co.nz, Ttora.com, Treehugger.com, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Sourceable.net, Prepper-recources.com,Containerauction.com, Emyplanb.wordpress.com,followingfuji1.blogspot.com, Luxtica.com
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