Think shipping container pools and pop-up shops are cutting-edge? Designers and architects all over the world who like to think outside-of-the-box with their boxes are coming up with some creative uses for repurposed shipping containers.
Built to last, budget-friendly, and fully customisable, steel shipping containers can be transformed into almost any structure. While they will always be a core resource for worksites and industrial applications – not to mention the shipping industry – it is the residential, recreational, and luxury uses that are propelling the sustainable containerism movement forward, making it one of the most noteworthy building trends of the 21st century.
Here is a sampling of what can be done when you mix imagination with some creative examples of repurposed steel shipping containers.
A Denmark Diving Tower From Repurposed Shipping Containers
As part of an old Danish ferry port turned outdoor water destination, the Swedish-based agency Sweco Architects designed a three-container tall diving tower. Visitors can dive from four, eight, or 11 metres, depending on which shipping container platform they jump from.
Combining three bright yellow containers, connected with a staircase and illuminated with LED lighting, the diving tower has become a destination for local thrill seekers as well as a visually-stunning landmark.
Shipping Container Playground in Melbourne
Phooey Architects created an industrial-chic children’s play centre in Melbourne out of abandoned shipping containers along with other recycled materials. The play area includes indoor and outdoor spaces with lounges, decking, and a sandpit, making it the perfect stomping ground for kids of all ages.
Shipping Container Bridge in Israel
An impressive architectural feat, the team from Yoav Messr Architects in Israel are creating the ECOntainer Bridge as the gateway to the Ariel Sharon Park. It is a 160-metre long structure with two observation decks and a rooftop walkway, joining two sides of the green site.
The park itself is a major environmental rehabilitation project – a former garbage dump turned into a green recreational space. Using repurposed shipping containers to form the bridge just adds to the green-aesthetic of the park.
Finding New Uses for Old Shipping Containers
Diving towers, playgrounds, bridges – luxury homes, modular workspaces, portable bars, and cafes– there’s no limit to what has been done and what can be done in the future with repurposed shipping containers.
At Port Shipping Containers, we sell a variety of sizes of used shipping containers at affordable prices for hire and purchase, but we also excel at modifying shipping containers.
Have a project idea or want to set up a versatile, eco-friendly, and trendy workspace for business from a repurposed shipping container? Contact us to learn more about how we can start you on your journey into containerism.
