The Many Architectural Applications of Shipping Containers vol.3

Shipping containers  are a convenient construction material for building affordable real estate for personal housing, business facilities or leisure activities. They can also be used in public transportation industry. At least by building ship terminals and train stations.

A dutch architects company NL Architects has designed a new shipping container railway station that makes passengers’ waiting experience more comfortable.

They wanted a cheap and light material that would be easy to put together and take apart. Therefore they used shipping containers to build this structure that consists four containers. Three of them work as a roof above glazed waiting room. One container is an open-bottom container creating more space while two other horizontally installed closed containers build storage. The fourth container has been flipped upwards to create a clock tower. The tower has a bathroom with natural light coming from the glazed ceiling window.

 Shipping containers can be modified easily with cutting or welding. Thereby they are also easy to be retrofitted into their surroundings. Most of the containers are also equipped with generators.

Another new application for shipping containers was invented by the design companies Hombre de Piedra and  buró4 who built a cruise terminal out of shipping containers in the port of Seville in 2013.

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.

Shanghai Metal Corporation sells standardized  shipping containers internationally. We also make prefabricated shipping container housing and office solutions. Please visit our website on containers and container buildings for detailed descriptions. Follow us also on these social media platforms.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Sources: See our blogs on the train station and cruise terminal.

Continue to chapter 4

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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