Shipping Container

Mike McConkey, a superintendent for a general contractor, tasked Chris Bittner of OBR Architecture with designing an environmentally sensitive home for he and his wife in San Diego County. Utilizing three shipping containers and a bevy of cost-effective appliances, they managed to limit the budget to $160,000.

This modular home prototype by Meka is a shipping container clad in cedar.

Tsai Design Studio turned a shipping container into a classroom located just outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Maziar Behrooz designed this container studio set amid lush trees.

Trejos positioned the containers about 60 centimeters above the ground floor, which gives the main gallery and workspace a bit of a sunken feel. The double-level main room offers a spacious interior, perfect for large events and easily altered so it can be utilized as a photo studio for indoor shoots.

Sliding bamboo panels on the west side of the house can be adjusted to provide shade during the later part of the day.

Covered with wire mesh, the green roof will continue to vegetate over time.

Because the area is prone to wildfires, the architect and residents were compelled to use special flame retardant materials for the windows and roof.

Opting for IKEA appliances helped rein in the budget, but the home's greatest cost-saving measure may have been Mike's background in construction. His degree in architectural engineering enabled him to play an active role in both the ideation and execution.

Other than some use of drywall, the structure is completely made of shipping containers.