Shipping Containers and Building Reuse

There has been much published about the use of shipping containers for architecture - be it the single unit or the multistacked construction:

[Browse a selection of such creations here via Treehugger and here via SFGate]

What makes shipping containers ideal is their portability - and I think their ideal use would be to turn larger empty spaces into smaller more manageable units - sort of a reinterpretation of the factory to lofts idea. Transforming a warehouse into offices, as illustrated in the Inhabitat post on 9.29.09, shows the potential of the idea. One could take the remaining rust-belt infrastructure and transform it into a small business commune - shared facilities for kitchens and break-out space, and then smaller units for private offices and secure file storage/server space. This could also be used in defunct big-box retailer spaces in suburban areas. It sort of is an american scaled version (we do like things bigger) of the ideas of the LynFabrik in Aarhus, Denmark. LynFabrik is a shared space for creative professionals - the building houses office and studio/workshop space, as well as a cafe all of which are designed to allow the intermingling of solo or small group creative practitioners - and the cafe is open to the public (though it is located on the roof, so it isn't overwhelmed, though it does stay busy).

I suggest you check out the Inhabitat article on MVP using shipping containers for its office, and think about all of the possibilities...

Some images from the project:

Nika Zupanc

Nika Zupanc is a designer out of Slovenia whos aesthetic walks the line between Hollywood Glamour and Tim Burton-esque - at least to my eyes. Her take on the feminine and objects attributed thereto is done with a strong powerful stroke and a sense of whimsy and/or cynical wit, which is to say - i adore it. Her most recent exhibition was titled I Will Buy Flowers Myself.

I also enjoy the vaguely Secretary styling of her public image:

Some examples:

A hot plate

A love seat & toy car

A graceful and beautiful space for children

Designed for its climate

designed for inspiring awe

successful

enjoy!

Ecological Children Activity and Education Center / 24H > architecture: "

Architects: 24H > architecture
Location: Koh Kood Island, Thailand
Client: Six Senses Bangkok
Architects in Charge: Boris Zeisser, Maartje Lammers
Program: Auditorium/Cinema, Libary, Art room, Music room, Fashion room, Chill balcony and slide
Local Architect: Habita architects
Constructed area: 165 sqm
Design year:2006-2007
Construction year:2008-2009
Photographs: Kiattipong Panchee & Boris Zeisser

The 6 star hotel resort Soneva Kiri is located on Koh Kood, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. At this unique site, 24H-architecture designed a series of ecological icons to contribute to Six Senses’ high ambitions in design and ecology. Most prominent is The Children Activity and Learning Centre, which will provide visiting children a wide range of entertaining activities as well as raise the level of ecological awareness with them. This Den provides an Auditorium/Cinema for films, lectures and plays, a library with books on permaculture and local traditions, an Art room, a Music room and Fashion room, thus giving children both creative and ecological education while playing.

roof plan

The Den is located at a rocky slope close to the sea. With its Manta-ray inspired bamboo dome, perched in an elevated position so as to offer magnificent views, it seems to launch itself into the bay. The structure and roof are made from local Thai bamboo, thus contributing further to the ecological approach of the resort. The interior is made from local plantation River Red Gum wood and rattan structural elements for the inner domes.

Next to the Den, the site provides a sleeping pod for toddlers, and a toilet building as well as a cooking cave with vegetable garden for the children to prepare their own lunch with a special cook.

The design adopts all bioclimatic aspects to suits its humid tropical environment. The roof cantilevers up to 8m acting like a big umbrella providing shade and protection from the heavy rains. The open design with the translucent elevated rooftop and setback floors allow a natural airflow inside and the use of natural daylight, limiting the building’s energy consumption.

"

Using all our created spaces

Oobject compiled 12 stunning roof gardens and I concur. The roof isn't just the top of a building - it is an implied space - thus it should be maximized for not only the function of the building but for the occupant/user's experience of the building. Such gardens offer reduced heating/cooling bills for the building as well as boosting the aesthetic and postive environmental impact of such a structure.