Methods of Shipping Container Conversion
What was once seen as weird and novel 10 years ago is no longer the case. People across this Great Southern Land are using one of the most available sources of building materials on their shores; the humble shipping container. People are looking at this container with new eyes, and they have started to convert shipping containers to suit their needs. This could be in homes, in backyards, in offices, in farms and anywhere else imaginable. No matter what the purpose, there seems to be three major methods of shipping container conversion. They are found in stacking the containers, adapting the purpose, and reducing the impact. Here are some of the examples that demonstrate these methods.
Stacking
As a container, these are designed to be stacked up to 10 high on board an ocean vessel, travelling across the high seas and defeating mighty waves, pounding rains and gusting winds. In spite of that, they arrive safely on these shores every day. People have taken notice of their sturdy design and have stacked the container on dry land to form an even stronger stack than what is possible on the open ocean. Home owners have created multi-level estates with 20 foot and 40 foot containers. These homes give ample amounts of square footage at a fraction of the cost of a standard large home build. There are even design plans to create multi-level apartment complexes from stacked shipping containers. This might be a long way off yet, but the principle is the same as what is seen now.
Adapting
The versatility of a shipping container is also what makes it so useful. It can ship goods ranging from baby strollers to watermelons and frozen cod. The adaptability of these containers has been made known to those who have an artistic eye to see them. Containers are now being converted in mobile farms and growing stations.
The small space and ability to transport these containers provide a perfect solution to grow vertical farms indoors for local, organic produce and sustainable crops even in a city. Shipping containers are also being adapted into office buildings, artistic studios, food trucks, breweries and underground weather shelters against violent storms.
Reducing
What makes a shipping container so appealing is its universal availability. Any dock in the world is teeming with shipping containers, ready to be recycled and reused into some other purpose. Many see shipping containers as fantastic ways to reduce the impact on the environment. It's a readily sourced material that requires no deforestation to create, it saves the container from being thrown away or left to rust and decay, and it requires less power and energy to operate as a living space.
The methods of a shipping container conversion might vary, but this ideal container is a great way to work with an accumulating problem all across the globe.