While shopping for containers, Hill was instantly drawn to this one’s existing blue color and chose to buy it and leave it as is. Poteet added floor-to-ceiling sliding doors to allow light in, as well as a cantilevered overhang to shade a window on the left side, which houses a small garden storage area.

In February of 2007, two San Francisco art and travel addicts purchased a 3,200-square-foot former Chinese laundry and tooth-powder factory with column-free interiors and a zigzagging sawtooth roof in lower Pacific Heights. They customized a pair of shipping containers to accommodate their collection and reflect their passions, and hired a local company to sandblast the interior to expose the board-formed concrete walls and replace the carpeted floors with Georgia hickory pecan planks to further lengthen the loft and make it look more like a warehouse.

Mary and Kundan Bhullar built a shipshape country escape that sits lightly on the land in the Aravalli hills near Gurgaon, India.

The house for Kundan's mother, dubbed Chameli, is constructed of two 40 x 8 containers located next to the family's garden.

The buildings create a pedestrian-friendly experience by placing retail on the main floor, where it is easily accessible to passers-by.

The two building masses join like a hinge at the narrow end of the site. The solid masses are broken only by the exterior circulation routes. The complex name, DRIVELINES, is painted onto the end facade.

Diagonal cuts are mirrored across the facade, creating a rhythmic pattern of material and void.

Large cuts in the outer walls of the shipping containers create a geometric pattern of glazed openings. At night, the openings create a patterned facade that is both solid and transparent.

The project's industrial character ties in nicely with the surrounding infrastructure and architecture.

The residential building blends in with the urban fabric of the changing downtown neighborhood.

The exposed wooden stairwell creates a warm contrast with the concrete and metal used elsewhere.

The 800-square-foot house is among the first shipping container residences in San Diego County, according to Mike. He hopes it will soon by joined by a larger container home on the property, at which point it will become the guesthouse.

Circulation platforms weave above the open courtyard space.

Located at The Proxy in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, AETHERsf is a concept space constructed from three 40-foot shipping containers stacked on top of each other. In addition to a curated selection of design-focused outerwear, the space features a custom, glass-encased cantilevered lounge with reclaimed oak floors and a belt-driven "dry cleaner-style" conveyor system.

This eco-friendly escape is powered by solar panels and a wind turbine—and it even includes a full bath.

Established in 1997, Artisans Group in Olympia designs modern homes throughout the greater Seattle and Portland areas. Their design-build models allow the company to provide full design services, and thanks to a partnership with Phoenix Haus—a Passive House panel fabricator—they are now able to develop Passive House prefab homes.

The outdoor terrace folds up, and the roof can be detached so that the container home can be easily relocated.

Insta-House by MB Architects

Project Name: Box Office

Project Name: Seatrain Residence

The apartments face a landscaped common courtyard. The site is an irregular trapezoid, a fact the zig-zagging sidewalks reflect well.

In the midst of the pandemic, a family leverages industry connections and modular construction to quickly rebuild a cliffside getaway on a fire-ravaged site in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.

The containers are fused side-by-side, giving each apartment a 16-foot width. They are then stacked in four pairs with wrought, industrial-style exterior staircases in-between. To spare living space and installation headaches, a cinder block core houses utilities and a bathroom for each unit.

La Aduana is an eight-unit apartment building in León, Mexico, made from 36 shipping containers.

The eight container apartments, huddled together in a wise use of the space, are situated on an old used car lot in downtown Phoenix. A decommissioned container costs between $1,800 and $5,000, says architect Wesley James. Transportation, handling, and site assembly run at least as much.

A large deck extends from the front of the home as well.

A solo backyard container houses a photo studio and storage space.

A staircase made of Cor-Ten steel leads to the home’s rooftop deck. “I just thought it was so unique to have a roof deck in the country,” says Victoria. “In the winter, when there’s less foliage, we’ll be able to see clear to the Catskills.”

Floor-to-ceiling windows front each unit, with sections of container wall folded out and fixed in place as part of the shading strategy.

Amagansett Modular House by MB Architecture

The architecture follows the natural contours of the wedge-shaped site: the building is placed on higher ground on the site’s wider east end, while exterior decking steps down to the pool to the west.

A glassed-in walkway connects the open-plan living areas to a separate bedroom wing.

The ruddy Cor-Ten facade contrasts with its verdant surroundings.

Atelier Riri devised a creative way to make living inside a shipping container in Indonesia’s tropical climate both comfortable and economical. The architects layered recycled pine, glass wool, and planter mesh on top of the home to help keep temperatures down.