As the human population optimistically rises while natural resources diminish at frightening rates one must wonder: “What will the future urban centers of the world look like in the coming century?”
Good old-fashioned materials such as lumber and steel are unrealistic options as the need for shelter and city-centric infrastructure spikes alongside the rapid urbanization of developing nations. Architects and urban developers of the future will be faced with the need for energy-efficient buildings that don’t take a long time to build.
The answer? Steel shipping containers. Architects worldwide are catching onto this extremely practical design trend and although the majority of completed buildings that make use of this unique construction material come from boutique architecture firms its use is on the rise.
The advantages of using shipping containers as skeletons for buildings are numerous. For starters they are seen as a waste material and they pile up at shipping ports around the world. They can be purchased for negligible amounts of money and provide an extremely durable and sturdy starting point with which architects can work.
Another advantage is the potential they hold for refugee housing. Because of their portability strength and minimal construction needs these steel containers serve as an excellent response to people in need of emergency shelter. This however is not to say they still can’t serve higher-profile projects as several architects have used shipping containers for universities residences commercial developments and more.
The fact that a shipping container can be brought to a factory cleaned sealed with insulation outfitted with prefabricated plumbing and electrical work and then shipped to the construction site gives this medium huge potential in the future.
With promise for developments such as malls museums refugee shelter dormitories or even your next apartment shipping containers should be on your green radar as the next big thing.