apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i think it's great. big fan of the color too. awesome.

I need one of these!

This is something that's been a topic of conversation in the modern design community for some time. The main point being that shipping containers are cheap and plentiful and can be plunked down anywhere. Based on the photos, it appears that this project is about none of that, but is, rather, about the novelty of having a house built partly out of shipping containers.
I get that, it's interesting, and I applaud this someone for doing it, but I think it completely misses the point of shipping containers as a housing medium.

To follow-up to splatgirl's comment, I have been very interested in this concept after learning about a new company created by a student that provides homes built from one shipping container to impoverished Mexicans. ( http://www.pfnc.net/ )

I don't think this home is meant to showcase the same concept, so I don't think the "main point" of shipping containers is relevant here. I do think it's great anytime someone can find use for recyclable materials, especially in new home construction where it seems so much is wasted.

I only worry what the neighbors think of such a concept home being built right next to their bungalows.

What an interesting project and yes it's just you that has that sad and rather sexist notion that only boys build houses, thank god.

i completely agree with splatgirl.

It's not the most compelling use of containers I've ever seen, and I'm not sure what's supposed to be admirable about it being out of place and out of scale with its neighbors.

Only 2 bedrooms in 2000 sq ft? So... if so few people live there... why does it have to be so big? Without that being explained, I'm confused about it's size and how that makes it eco-sensitive.

Immediately I loved this idea but, like others here, I have some reservations:
- if I lived in one of those sweet little neighbourhood houses and this went up next door I'd be PISSED. (Maybe if it was set back on the lot and screened by trees it'd be better?)
- 2000 sq feet is enormous! I just downsized from a 1200 sq foot house (2400 sq feet including the basement) to an 1100 sq foot condo, and I still have 2 beds, 2 baths, office space and a sun room.

However, I would really like to see it - inside and out - when finished, and I'm hoping that the exterior will be less bunker-like than it appears now.

they're recycling containers. that means that instead of creating trash they're being used for a new purpose.

because they're used to build a nice expensive looking home instead of a mexican shanty town you're going to complain? give me a break. at least it's a start, people are opening their minds more. it often takes a bit more money to experiment with new materials anyways, until it becomes more widely used.

splatgirl, i think your fancy words completely miss the point of being used as a communication medium.

i like both the use of fancy words and cargo containers.

on second thought, couldn't you at least peel the sticker off of the side? i mean really.

It's a really neat idea, buuut don't expect the neighbors to be bringing over cookies any time soon. Although it should probably "fit in" as a house much better once all the trim is applied and everything is painted.

Fantastic photostream on the site, though!

I also love, LOVE the idea of shipping a container full of the materials needed to build an emergency relief house, and then use the containers as the main structure. Very cool.

cold war architecture revisited. no thanks.

This house is being built in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. Brookside is a trendy neighborhood to live in, filled primarily with the bungalows shown in the pictures that are from the 1920's. Those bungalows are WAY overpriced! One of our clinics is in that neighborhood, so I will drive by and check out the scale of it. I would have figured Brookside had "historic district" type rules, but apparently not. I for one think this will be a good addition to the neighborhood. With the Nelson-Atkins add-on from a couple years ago I think people are getting more used to seeing more modern style around here.

The other thing about Brookside, too, is that it is in the Midtown area, meaning a handful of blocks away and you have some not-so-nice places to live with higher crime, Section 8 welfare housing, etc. If I was a Brooksider I would think "thank goodness people are building here" and be grateful that the surrounding 'hood's weren't chipping away at my borders, as is the case usually.

I also think people should remember they live in the United States of America. This woman has the freedom (or at least she used to) to build her house out of whatever she wants, so if she likes the look of shipping containers I hardly think it's grounds for people here to grill her. I'm sure there are enough leftover. She is RECYCLING, so who cares WHY she decided to use them. I'd rather see someone do that than build a stick and drywall house in the suburbs. I think the Mexicans will have PLENTY of shipping containers to build housing out of should they decide to. Sheesh.

Actually, the shipping containers are brand new and were manufactured specifically for this house.

She has the freedom to build her house, but we have the freedom to question some of her choices.

matt in kc- how do you know these containers were created for this house?

h144- the news blurb about the house says they're taller than standard containers.

Matt, couldn't that mean they're just taller containers? I can hardly believe she would have custom-made shipping containers made (is that even possible, considering how production lines, tooling, etc works?), have stickers applied to them, etc only to use on a house when she could use a variety of corrugated metal products as siding to achieve a similar look at a fraction of the cost. Doesn't make much sense. I think assuming they are custom-made for this project based on a comment that they are taller than average containers is a stretch. I think I'm off to drive by the house and see how it fits in with the neighborhood. I'll take my camera and post some photos if I can.

BTW, I just re-read the news piece and it clearly indicates that these are used containers and not new ones, FWIW.

Drove by a couple hours ago. I almost drove right past it. In the pics below you can see what the lot looked like before the house was built, as well as the home from a few different street angles. It sits a little taller than the home next to it only because that house is slightly downhill. It definitely stands out, but that area of Brookside is not the nicer area, by any stretch. It's a couple blocks from Troost (the long-established dividing line between decent and horrible in Kansas City midtown), and, like I said, compared to some of the homes on that block I think neighbors should be welcoming new construction.

Empty lot:
http://img.skitch.com/20090310-ddnawmrd2km38mgaimrmtg7ngd.jpg

View from the north:
http://img.skitch.com/20090310-drpepx91ta14gpf8h7tud57xh5.jpg

View from the south:
http://img.skitch.com/20090310-pibmehxrw1c3x7dmamphum3x85.jpg

The boxes appear to have been produced by a container manufacturing company in China (I visited their Shanghai factory once), their name is on a sticker on the pictures on the second row, the second and third images. While the usual heights for containers are generally either 8'6" or 9'6", it only unusual rather than impossible to get one taller. (Would hate to transport it, though). Not all the containers for the building appear to be that high, so it may have been a fluke to find one second-hand. And finally, if they were specially made for this express purpose, I'd be mightily annoyed with the amount of rust and generally less than pristine condition of the lower edges and the corner castings.