Containers Architecture Reusing Shipping Containers in creating Architectural Spaces.

Abstract

Reusing and recycling of materials is considered as an important value in sustainable design and architecture that prolonged among many historical ages, from reuse of stone, wood, marble columns, etc.… the previous decades witnessed the use of many materials in creating spaces that can host various functions, not only for economic or financial reasons but also for environmental reasons, in addition to the expenses of getting rid of these materials or reprocessing them by any mean. From re-use of paper, till reusing steel shipping containers, various attempts have been made to explore the possibilities, opportunities and examples of creating many functions, projects, or even large buildings been constructed in this way, the wide increase of these applications lead to the emerging of a type of architecture called afterwards containers Architecture. This paper is an attempt to explore this containers architecture, by studying different opportunities of reusing these steel boxes, that are usually supposed to be left unused or expensively reprocessed in a complicated manufacturing process that not only costs money but also consuming energy. This type of Architecture aims to create some architectural spaces that hosts different functions & human activities, not only on the scale of an individual building but also on a larger scale that can help in creating a quick or sometimes temporary solution for a building or a group of buildings that are structurally stable & safe, environment friendly, with very high capabilities of achieving aesthetic values that can be utilized by people. Going through this study, it will explore & analyze some projects and case studies from many points of views, Geometrically, Architecturally, structurally, financially, and of course environmentally.

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TITLE
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Containers Architecture Reusing Shipping Containers in creating Architectural Spaces
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Ahmed Hosney Radwan
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International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
(ICACEE 2015)) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25th-26th December2015.
Containers Architecture
Reusing Shipping Containers in creating
Architectural Spaces.
Ahmed Hosney Radwan
Assistant professor of Architecture - Architecture Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt. Email: ahosney@gmail.com
Abstract— Reusing and recycling of materials is considered as an important value in sustainable design and architecture that prolonged
among many historical ages, from reuse of stone, wood, marble columns, etc.… the previous decades witnessed the use of many materials
in creating spaces that can host various functions, not only for economic or financial reasons but also for environmental reasons, in addition
to the expenses of getting rid of these materials or reprocessing them by any mean. From re-use of paper, till reusing steel shipping
containers, various attempts have been made to explore the possibilities, opportunities and examples of creating many functions, projects,
or even large buildings been constructed in this way, the wide increase of these applications lead to the emerging of a type of architecture
called afterwards containers Architecture. This paper is an attempt to explore this containers architecture, by studying different opportunities
of reusing these steel boxes, that are usually supposed to be left unused or expensively reprocessed in a complicated manufacturing process
that not only costs money but also consuming energy. This type of Architecture aims to create some architectural spaces that hosts different
functions & human activities, not only on the scale of an individual building but also on a larger scale that can help in creating a quick or
sometimes temporary solution for a building or a group of buildings that are structurally stable & safe, environment friendly, with very high
capabilities of achieving aesthetic values that can be utilized by people. Going through this study, it will explore & analyze some projects and
case studies from many points of views, Geometrically, Architecturally, structurally, financially, and of course environmentally.
Index Terms— Architectural spaces, Cargotecture, Containers Architecture, Containers homes, Shipping Containers, Reuse of materials,
Recycling.
——————————  ——————————
1 INTRODUCTION
hipping container architecture could be defined as that type
of architecture that is generally characterized by the re-use
of steel shipping containers as a structural element and Ar-
chitectural envelope that can host a specific function or a hu-
man activity. Often this type of architecture is termed cargotec-
ture, a blend of conventional architecture and containers. The
applicable of cargotecture has greatly expanded in the recent
times in credit to their strong plating, inexpensiveness, and
widespread obtainability. It was noticed recently that many
people were building their houses using shipping containers
for their low environ-mental impact in comparison to tradi-
tional houses made with brick and reinforced concrete struc-
ture, taking also in consideration the short time required to
erect a building in this way, with future possibilities of moving
these buildings to other locations or adding extra spaces or vol-
umes.
2 WHAT IS A SHIPPING CONTAINER?
A shipping container is a steel frame-usually cuboid- with a
suitable strength to support large cargo transits and stowage.
There are various types of containers, varying from refillable to
universally standardized. For global trade, the term container
is directly associated to a shopping container which can be
loaded onto a great number of transportation options without
requiring unpacking of its contents.[
1
]
S
Fig 1: Shipping Container
Fig 2: Shipping Container Dimensions

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
(ICACEE 2015)) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25th-26th December2015.
Though containers are made with intent to be consistently re-
usable, a great number of them go into neglect when their
owner companies possess containers far more than demand, or
due to other economic reasons. This has led to a great number
of neglected and forgotten containers in various ports around
the world. Research has concluded that about twenty million
containers are neglected around the globe at all times, with over
one million having no purpose other than taking valuable
space.
3 FACTS
The following table shows the standard dimensions, volumes
and weights of the shipping containers.
4 EXPECTED LIFETIME OF A SHIPPING CONTAINER.
Based on the use intended for them, most containers are made
to fulfil at least a one-decade lifespan, with three decades being
the chief lifespan target. They are made to be extremely resilient
and secure to facilitate safe cargo transit through a long dis-
tance. Most containers in use these days are expected to have
finished a one-decade lifespan. Through application of reason-
able maintenance, a lifespan far exceeding the anticipated fig-
ures can be expected.
5 USING SHIPPING CONTAINERS IN CREATING
VARIOUS ARCHITECTURAL SPACES.
One of the main questions raised in Containers architecture
is why a steel shipping container can be reused to create a liva-
ble space. Knowing that geometrically any space could be de-
fined by different planes, horizontal and vertical, with a spatial
relationship that organizes this space, defines it, and represents
the human function that this space was created to be performed
in, with the scale and dimensions, another value is added, thus
leading to a better performance in this function, or another
function that could be added or performed.so looking at any
steel shipping container, the main and basic conditions of a
space exists, with some modifications it can host various human
activities of functions, thus creating not only functioning spaces
but also interesting spaces for people to live, use and enjoy.
6 WHY COULD A SHIPPING CONTAINER BE USED AS
A SPACE UNIT THAT CAN CREATE A BUILDING OR A
GROUP OF BUILDINGS?
6.1. The composition of the shipping container:
Any shipping container is composed of 6 planes, floor, top,
and four sides, made of steel, in regular corrugations that help
in making these sides strong enough to tolerate loads, or pres-
sures that may occur during the transportation process, in ad-
dition to steel posts and enforcements whether in the corners,
or intersections of these planes(sides), or below the floor, or
above the top. Accordingly, as a structure, its designed to resist
forces as mentioned that exceeds the forces being developed in
many architectural spaces like residences, offices, dorms, etc.
6.2. Storage Order:
Containers on a global scale are constructed with their
frames intended for stacking in a standardized manner. It is not
possible for containers to be stacked in any other manner other
than the standardized norm. This is because the frames are
meant to stack in a universal alignment with no other locks em-
placed to facilitate an alien alignment.
————————————————
 Ahmed Hosney Radwan is currently an assistant professor of Architec-
ture - Architecture Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan Univer-
sity, Cairo, Egypt.Email: ahosney@gmail.com
Fig 4: Bearing Loads on Corner Posts
Fig 5: Various Shipping Container Dimensions
Fig 3: points of loading in a traditional Shipping
Container

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
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7 THE BUILDING FUNCTIONS THAT SHIPPING
CONTAINERS CAN HOST.
As a result of its structural composition, a shipping container, in
addition to its uniform, regular cuboid shape, & its modular size(s),
many functions inside a building or even complete buildings could
be easily constructed by reusing these containers, several examples
existed all over the world for buildings that was constructed this
way. Generally, they could be re-used to construct these kinds of
buildings/functions:
 housing, Emergency crisis shelter, Emergency natural disaster
shelter, School buildings, residential and commercial structures, stu-
dios, shops, mobile museums, bank branches, pharmacies, Sleeping
rooms, malls and public restrooms.
Talking more specifically on real life projects, they have been used
all over the world in creating various projects, and in various coun-
tries, with different scales and functions, the following are case stud-
ies been explored and analyzed starting from a very simple resi-
dence till large scale developments.
7.1. Small Size Residence [
2
]
Small Shipping Container Cabin
 The cabin was constructed in 2008.
 It is composed of two twenty feet standardized con-
tainers, one container is placed on top of other in an
intertwined manner.
 criss-cross stacking can be done as another solution of
formulating a non-traditional box shape.
Fig 8: Steel Container Exploded View showing its
structural composition
Fig 6: Shipping Order of containers in regular hor-
izontal and vertical lines
Fig 7: Containers on top of each other

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 Adding some modifications and reinforcement re-
quired for supporting the weight, particularly the
added supports and beams.
 Upper containers as well as lower containers need re-
inforcing, borders of globalized containers are made to
facilitate placement of another container straying from
its corners, which means the upper container is bal-
anced.
 by applying a specific color theme its atheistically
pleasing to the human eye
 Modifications have been made to connect the 2 con-
tainers vertically thus creating a staircase that connects
the 2 levels, While criss-cross stacking created a shaded
area on both sides of the lower container beside two
terraces on both sides of the upper container.
 The possibility of adding a third container on top of the
second one, in the case of needing an extra space.
Fig 9: 2 Containers on top of each other
Fig 10: floor plans showing the internal and
external spaces been created using the 2 con-
tainers on top of each other.
Fig 11: crisscross configuration of 2 containers on
top of each other.

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
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7.2. Shipping Container Guest House [
3
]
 This cabin was designed in Texas by the prominent ar-
chitect Jim Poteet. This design uses a single container,
which can function as a garden retreat, studio, and
even a playhouse for children and adults. This house
contains glass doors and windows and the container is
8x40 ft. This cabin has one toilet, shower and sink avail-
able. There also are cooling and heating systems em-
placed. The roof features an assortment of various
plants.
 The house is made entirely out of containers, and due
to the boxy nature of the container, the decorating pos-
sibilities are limited. Two large sections of steel were
removed for the sliding doorway and window and the
container was given a blue paint.
 Patio is featured in the roof and front, minimizing the
chances of rainwater smashing against the glass. The
interior of the cabin is made with wood to reflect a feel-
ing of comfort and calm.
 The mix of materials and colors give it a unique stand-
ing in the conventional mass of guesthouses. The de-
signing creativity for this house belongs to the Poteet
Architects, it is important to note that this is not their
sole container-based design.
Fig 12: Making some modifications in the vertical
planes to create doors and windows.
Fig 13: the guest house could be also a temporary
residence.
Fig 14: using wood for the internal planes to
change the industrial look of the container.
Fig 15: Terrace for containers.
Fig 16: the guest house green roof

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7.3. Mid-Size Residences
4
 Applying the same way, not only to a single or double
shipping containers, many containers could be utilized
to create a larger scale, with different configurations to
host families of bigger size, with a bigger number of
spaces, whether internally or externally.
The DeWitt and Kasravi Sea Container Home
 This home consists of four containers; the designing
creativity belongs to Modulus.
 It is based in California, but the actual framework was
completed in another location. The containers were
only reassembled in the house location.
 The top floor features 9 skylights, giving large volume
of natural light into house.
Fig 17: the integration of the guest house with the
sur-rounding environment.
Fig 18: various configurations of staking the con-
tainers can lead to various models of residential
units.
Fig 19: floor plan showing the internal and
external spaces.
Fig 20: floor plan showing the internal and exter-
nal spaces.

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
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7.4. Keetwonen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands [
5
]
The largest container locality in the world is located in Nether-
lands. This city was created by Tempo housing, and called Keet-
wonen. This city went on to gain huge prominence in the coun-
try, particularly in students groups. The city has become the
second largest dormitory in the city of Amsterdam. The success
of Keetwonen displaced any previous anxiety that container
households would be either too noisy, small, or cold. The con-
tainers proved to be highly cost-efficient, roomful and insulated
against noise and effects of weather, beating out other student
housing schemes present in the city.
Keetwonen also manages to offer utilities that were missing in
other student housing societies; each house came complete with
its own kitchen, bathroom, gallery, study and bedroom. Each
house featured upsized glass windows to facilitate daylight en-
tering the house and ventilation system. This project was based
on the requirements of students, a personal space for study
without the necessity to share showers and bathrooms with in-
dividuals to whom you are unfamiliar. The city offers plenty of
opportunities to facilitate student convenience, for instance, the
interior area features a cordoned area to facilitate bike parking.
Fig 21: various configurations of staking the containers
can lead to various models of residential units
Fig 23: floor plan showing how it looks like if 3 con-
tainers are opened between each other.
Fig 22: floor plan showing how it looks like if 3
containers are closed between each other.
Fig 24: various configurations of staking the containers
can lead to various models of residential units

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Fig 25: Keetwonen is the biggest container city in the
world.
The Keetwonen was constructed in 2005, though it may appear
that residents are living inside metal boxes, the interiors is ac-
tually quite affluent on the standards of students. Each house
consists of its own gallery, kitchen, and bathroom. There even
is access to fast broadband internet. This housing was meant as
a temporary location for student housing, however, relocation
plans have been extended as further as 2016 and students and
individuals who purchased their containers can relocated their
house to a new personal spot.
Fig 26: Keetwonen is the biggest container city in the
world.
Fig 27: floor plan for a typical room.
Fig 28: the designer worked on creating dynamic external
spaces.
Fig 29: using a distinctive color helped in creating an eye-
catching mass of rooms.

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7.5. Cite A Docks
 Architect: Cattani Architects
 Location: La Havre, France
 Date: 2010
 This structure is a dormitory located in Le Havre,
France.
 One hundred dorms were construction through trans-
forming old containers into a four-story building.
 Each apartment has 24 square meters and includes a
bathroom and a kitchen, which is just about everything
a student could need.
 Observing the building façade, it sponsors a highly
metallic and dull theme, which fails to complement the
students’ learning energy.
 According to the developers, the metallic framework
facilitates greater identification of various rooms and
broadens them by using foreign extensions, which are
modified, into balconies.
 The sloping architecture provides the entire structure
a mixed feeling of being both filled and hollow. Grant-
ing a more scenic view.
 This existence of this structure is in credit to modified
used containers. The modifications provided changes
the containers into complete houses spanning 24 sq.
meters individually, and amounting over hundred
houses in a 4-floored structure.
 One of the chief designers for this structure provided a
reflection on her through process. The team had to
work against the popular sentiment against stacking.
The housing demands have changed drastically and
therefore this structure had to be designed in a way
that ensures greater feeling of personal housing inde-
pendences.
 Containers came out as the best solution, older models
would be renovated, and interior space would be re-
furbished. The designing on containers allowed for
them to be stacked on each other and foreign objects,
such as walkways would be erected to facilitate move-
ment.
 Container based framework makes it easier to identi-
fies the boundaries of each house and makes them aes-
thetically pleasing through the placement of terraces.
The sloping effect makes the structure even more aes-
thetically pleasing through portraying the structure as
neither too crowded nor empty.
 Structure, comprised of one hundred houses, is spread
over 4 floor plan. The first floor was elevated to ensure
identical privacy for the ground floor residents as the
residents from upper floors receive.
 Each house faces a garden located within the structure
premises, plenty of windows and glass walls facilitate
consistent penetration of natural light into each house.
 In order to facilitate greater noise and temperature iso-
lation, the containers at dividing locations those lack-
ing adjacent containers were coated with forty centi-
meters of reinforced concrete, alongside rubber coating
to ensure minimal vibrations.
 The external facade is designed by the combination of
the old “boxes” that has kept the undulating, repainted
in metallic gray. Inside, the designers chose white
walls and wooden furniture. Each studio has a bath-
room and a kitchen.
Fig 31: the designer worked on creating dynamic ex-
ternal spaces.
Fig 30: plans and sections through the room – ship-
ping container.

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Fig 33: Sections through the shipping con-
tainers.
Fig 32: containers staking in various direc-
tions created a distinctive urban configura-
tion.
Fig 35: the inside of the container
Fig 34: stacking the containers.
Fig 36: a steel skeleton was constructed to host the
containers.

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7.6. Cultural centers.
Platoon Kunsthalle, berlin, Germany.
 An iconic reality of the container based architecture.
 This structure functions as an art center and exhibition
hall
 The firm responsible for designing this structure is
Graft Lab Architecture. The entire structure is made
from containers.
 This structure was designed with intent to exhibit the
modern feeling, a place where inspiration and imagi-
nation can meet.
 The interior of this structure features exhibition areas,
studios, pubs and even a restaurant. The interior has
plenty of clear space to facilitate larger groups visiting
the exhibitions.
 This structure was designed with intent to serve as a
place where creative individuals could work and
thrive.
 Opened on 2012
Fig 41: stability of structure.
Fig 38: vertical staking of containers lead to a reasona-
ble height that is suitable for art works display.
Fig 37: internal view showing the spans that can be cre-
ated.
Fig 38: creating a transparent elevation by removing the
doors and replacing them with glass panels.
Fig 40: main elevation with sculpture displays.

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7.7. Crou in Le Havre, France [
6
]
Fig 40: Front View.
 The architects from Olgga created a building design
comprising only one hundred containers.
 A single container equal one house, a vast improve-
ment over the tiny dormitory rooms available in most
educational institutions.
 This structure was designed by French architects.
 One hundred containers were used for the construc-
tion of this dormitory structure.
 The project was nicknamed CROU, alongside being
called an environmentally-friendly project.
Containers are rapidly gaining prominence. They stand out as
elegant, modern and beautiful. Alongside these aesthetic traits,
containers-made houses are also inexpensive, sturdy and envi-
ronmentally-friendly.
Fig 41: 'Crou' student housing made from 100 recy-
cled shipping containers.
 This structure was developed to facilitate greatest
space utilization. Plenty of space in each individual
room is given to students, far more economical than
the cramped dormitories. In this structure, each con-
tainer is a separate house for anew student. The CROU
spans 2,851 sq. meters in an architectural design previ-
ously unseen. The structure is given a pyramid shape,
but only a single side of the pyramid is connected
through foreign connected staircase, leading into an
entrance for each house. Since this structure is based
entirely on containers, there was little anti-environ-
ment aspects associated to its construction, further-
more the containers are given a new life through this
renovation, otherwise they would become rusted and
useless for stowage in a landfill.
Fig 42: One of the room typologies.
Nicknamed as the CROU. This project will encompass over
thirty thousand sq. ft. of area. This project is expected to cost
almost five million. All of the one hundred houses in this struc-
ture will be completely isolated in terms of noise and tempera-
ture factors.
Fig 43: Another room typologies.
Fig 39: The pyramid-like arrangement of ship-
ping containers.

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7.8. Puma City
 Puma City is an 11,000-square-foot store, crafted with 24 red
shipping containers, located a mere stone’s throw from Bos-
ton’s Fenway Park.
 Puma City is a three level indoor-outdoor structure, con-
structed out of twenty-four containers.
 The structure fulfils the purpose of a stowage, living area and
moveable headquarter for companies.
 The structure is designed to be easily taken apart, shipped
and reassembled anywhere in the world.
Fig 44: Puma City – external and internal views.
7.9. London Container City I, II:
Based in London, the Container City is built as a unique and
simple workplace made out of only containers. The design is
made to look modern, stylish, and innovative. Inexpensiveness
and environmentally friendly structure are the defining traits
of this container-based city. The primary purpose of this city is
to serve as a modern workplace in a modern setting.
The construction location is the Trinity Buoy Wharf, with con-
structions beginning in 2000 and 2002 respectively. This city has
won multiple prizes in London for its innovativeness and mod-
ern designing. The cities have been used by a great number of
organizations pertaining to various industries, ranging from lo-
cal governmental officers, banks, software development com-
panies, healthcare, educational institutions amongst the num-
bers.
The first Container city is also known as the Riverside building,
which is comprised of a total seventy-three containers, based on
five floors, the construction work on this building was finished
near the end of 2005.
The entire prospect of the Container city is based on its excellent
idea of reusing previously used containers, thus granting them
new life. The containers are inexpensive in comparison to other
conventional building material. The reuse of containers meant
that there was little need for bricks or environmentally damag-
ing material.
Both cities are perhaps the most prominent container based
structures in the world. The second city is based on its unique
ziggurat designing approach, its vivid paint job acting as a
source of joy and motivation to its residents.
The Container city was built only as a singular city, the second
day and its multiple extensions are a part of an overall exten-
sion of the project, highlighting its great global prominence.
The second Container city building was finished two years after
the completion of the original project.
Fig 45: London shipping containers city.
8 CONCLUSIONS
Although having a very systematic and regular shape, shipping
containers could be reused to create not only functional spaces,
but also various configurations of architectural programs or
functions, that vary from a very simple residential unit, to a
small office building extending to a shopping mall, or a cultural
center, that hosts bigger number of users. Many attempts have
been done globally to create interesting architectural space(s),
that can be constructed in a relatively short interval of time,
with a reasonable cost. Possibilities are extended also to com-
pose livable urban spaces, that can be easily constructed and
relevantly in a low budget within a short time, in addition to
the flexibility and possibility of been reconstructed in other lo-
cations or sites. Containers architecture is not a rigid type of
construction of buildings or spaces configuration, although it’s
based on the modularity of volumes, yet many examples
showed a wide range of varieties in spaces externally and inter-
nally.
Shipping Containers Architecture Benefits could be briefed in
the following points:
 Renovation of previously utilized containers that have
fallen into disuse from ports located worldwide.
 Containers are highly inexpensive compared to con-
ventional building material, ranging from between
$1,500 to $3,000 United States dollars per individual
container.
 Containers are considerably sturdier compared to
wooden or brick structures, they also late for multiple
decades with little decay.

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
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 Containers are all standardized with identical designs,
thus all containers can be stacked upon or placed side
by side without requiring additional resources or plan-
ning.
 Renovation of containers take little time, there have
been reports of a container being successfully reno-
vated for personal living in little as 72 hours.
 Durable against extreme temperature and pests.
 Easily broken down for movement and reassembled
with the same structure intact, requiring little expense
for transit of house between locations.
 Highly durable frame lasts for decades without requir-
ing too expensive or specific maintenance.
 Always a possibility for further extensions, a house can
be expanded with more containers to make it larger,
with personalized placement of new rooms and utili-
ties.
9 FURTHER RESEARCHES THAT CAN BE
DONE BASED ON THIS RESEARCH
 Several researches can study the possibilities of using
Containers Architecture in constructing low cost hous-
ing projects, whether in Egypt or in developing coun-
tries that need a quick solution to maintain a shelter for
the homeless people.
 Studying the possibilities of high rise buildings using
shipping containers.
 Wider emphasis on urban configurations using ship-
ping containers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction .................................................................................. 1
2 What is a shipping container? ................................................... 1
3 FACTS .......................................................................................... 2
4 Expected lifetime of a shipping container. ............................... 2
5 Using shipping containers in creating various architectural
spaces. ............................................................................................. 2
6 Why could a shipping container be used as a space unit that
can create a building or a group of buildings?............................ 2
7 The building functions that shipping containers can host. .... 3
8 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................ 13
9 FURTHER RESEARCHES THAT CAN BE DONE BASED ON
THIS RESEARCH ........................................................................ 14
References ................................................................................... 16
TABLE OF FIGURES
Fig 1: Shipping Container .............................................................. 1
Fig 2: Shipping Container Dimensions ........................................ 1
Fig 3: points of loading in a traditional Shipping Container ...... 2
Fig 4: Bearing Loads on Corner Posts ........................................ 2
Fig 5: Various Shipping Container Dimensions .......................... 2
Fig 6: Steel Container Exploded View showing its structural
composition ..................................................................................... 3
Fig 7: Containers on top of each other ........................................ 3
Fig 8: Shipping Order of containers in regular horizontal and
vertical lines ..................................................................................... 3
Fig 9: 2 Containers on top of each other ..................................... 4
Fig 10: floor plans showing the internal and external spaces
been created using the 2 containers on top of each other. ...... 4
Fig 11: crisscross configuration of 2 containers on top of each
other. ................................................................................................. 4
Fig 12: Making some modifications in the vertical planes to
create doors and windows. ........................................................... 5
Fig 13: the guest house could be also a temporary residence. 5
Fig 14: using wood for the internal planes to change the
industrial look of the container. ..................................................... 5
Fig 15: Terrace for containers. ...................................................... 5
Fig 16: the guest house green roof .............................................. 5
Fig 17: the integration of the guest house with the sur-rounding
environment. .................................................................................... 6
Fig 18: floor plan showing the internal and external spaces.
........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Fig 20: various configurations of staking the containers can lead
to various models of residential units.Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Fig 19: various configurations of staking the containers can lead
to various models of residential units.Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Fig 21: floor plan showing how it looks like if 3 containers are
closed between each other. .......................................................... 7
Fig 22: floor plan showing how it looks like if 3 containers are
opened between each other. ......................................................... 7
Fig 23: various configurations of staking the containers can lead
to various models of residential units........................................... 7
Fig 24: various configurations of staking the containers can lead
to various models of residential units........................................... 7
Fig 25: Keetwonen is the biggest container city in the world. .. 8
Fig 26: Keetwonen is the biggest container city in the world. .. 8
Fig 27: floor plan for a typical room. ............................................ 8
Fig 28: the designer worked on creating dynamic external
spaces. ............................................................................................. 8
Fig 29: using a distinctive color helped in creating an eye-
catching mass of rooms. ................................................................ 8
Fig 30: plans and sections through the room – shipping
container. ......................................................................................... 9
Fig 31: the designer worked on creating dynamic external
spaces. ............................................................................................. 9
Fig 32: containers staking in various directions created a
distinctive urban configuration. ................................................... 10
Fig 33: Sections through the shipping containers. ................... 10
Fig 34: the inside of the container .............................................. 10
Fig 35: stacking the containers. .................................................. 10
Fig 36: a steel skeleton was constructed to host the containers.
......................................................................................................... 10
Fig 37: creating a transparent elevation by removing the doors
and replacing them with glass panels........................................ 11
Fig 38: stability of structure. ........................................................ 11
Fig 39: internal view showing the spans that can be created.
........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Fig 40: main elevation with sculpture displays. .................. Error!
Bookmark not defined.
Fig 41: vertical staking of containers lead to a reasonable height

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
(ICACEE 2015)) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25th-26th December2015.
that is suitable for art works display.Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Fig 42: The pyramid-like arrangement of shipping containers.
......................................................................................................... 12
Fig 43: Front View. ........................................................................ 12
Fig 44: 'Crou' student housing made from 100 recycled shipping
containers. ..................................................................................... 12
Fig 45: One of the room typologies. ........................................... 12
Fig 46: Another room typologies................................................. 12
Fig 47: Puma City – external and internal views. ..................... 13
Fig 48: London shipping containers city. ................................... 13

International Conference on Architecture, Civil and Environment Engineering
(ICACEE 2015)) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25th-26th December2015.
References
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[4] ASTM Shipping Container Standards and Related Technical
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[5] McKinley, A. H., "Transport Packaging", Institute of Packaging
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[16] www.abbreviations.com
[17] www.containerhome.info -containers.html
[18] www.homedit.com
[19] houztex.com
[20] flavorwire.com
[21]freshome.com
[22] http://www.shipping-container-housing.com