applications of shipping containers in the 21st century

APPLICATIONS OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS

IN THE 21ST

CENTURY

Collection of Blogs

Written by

Tuomas Poukkula

Table of Contents

EPILOGUE ....................................................................................................................... 9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 14

1. WHERE DID ALL THE DUCKS GO? ...................................................................... 16

2. CONTAINER HOMES – SOLUTION FOR STUDENT HOUSING ........................ 18

3. LUXURY CONTAINER HOTELS ............................................................................ 21

4. FIRST CAMEL MILK PRODUCTS SHIPPED TO EUROPE .................................. 24

5. NEW BUILDING MATERIALS – CONTAINERS, SNOW, LEGO AND BEER! . 26

6. CONTAINER HOUSES – THE NEXT BIG AMERICAN DREAM ........................ 29

7. THE WORLD’S BIGGEST MOBILE FRIDGE SAILED IN PARIS ....................... 33

8. CONTAINER SHOPS – THE NEW HOT TREND IN MODERN RETAILING!.... 36

9. CAN CONTAINER POP-UP SHOPS CHALLENGE E-COMMERCE? ................. 40

10. SHIPPING CONTAINER SWIMMING POOLS! ................................................... 44

11. BATHING MADE MOBILE WITH CONTAINER SAUNAS ............................... 47

12. THE SOLUTION FOR OVERCROWDED PRISONS – CONTAINER JAILS ..... 51

13. PARTY IN A BOX! GOING WILD IN CONTAINER NIGHT CLUBS! .............. 54

14. REEFER CONTAINERS – THE BEST TOOL FOR SHIPPING PENGUINS! ..... 56

15.THE CURE THAT LOWERS AGRESSION CAUSED BY HIGH

TEMPERATURES ................................................................................................ 59

16. SHIPPING CONTAINER BUNKERS – THE CURE FOR NATURAL

DISASTERS AND TERRORISM? ....................................................................... 63

17. CONTAINER GREENHOUSES – THE URBAN ORGANIC HEAVEN .............. 66

18. BETTER EDUCATION OBTAINED IN CONTAINER SCHOOLS ..................... 71

19. SHAKESPEARE REBORN IN CONTAINER THEATERS .................................. 74

20. COCA COLA SAVES LIVES WITH SHIPPING CONTAINERS!........................ 78

21. SHIPPING CONTAINER ARCHITECTURE – ONE OF THOSE ACCIDENTAL

INNOVATIONS .................................................................................................... 81

22. WHAT IF APPLE WAS STARTED IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER? .................. 85

23. AN ANTARCTIC PREFAB SHOWS THE TRUE POTENTIAL OF SHIPPING

CONTAINERS ...................................................................................................... 88

24. SHIPPING CONTAINER HOSPITALS – THE FUTURE OF SAVING LIVES ... 91

25. PLACES TO FALL HIGH AND STAY ALIVE ..................................................... 95

26. SHIPPING CONTAINERS – THE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE

RESTAURANTS................................................................................................... 99

27. WALKING ON THE STREETS OF THE CITY OF CONTAINERS .................. 102

28. CONTAINER SUMMER PAVILIONS – LUXURY FOR THE MODEST ......... 105

29. LAS VEGAS CONTAINER HOTELS – VIRTUES IN THE CITY OF SINS ..... 108

30. CRUISE SHIPS RESTING IN CONTAINER HAVEN ........................................ 111

31. CONTAINER ARCHITECTURE – A DIALOGUE WITH NATURE ................. 114

32. CONTAINER GARAGES – THE NEW HOMES OF HARLEYS ....................... 118

33. SÃO PAULO PRESENTS MARVELLOUS CONTAINER ART ........................ 120

34. IN CONTAINER HOMES WINTER IS ALWAYS OUTSIDE ............................ 123

35. CONTAINER LIBRARIES – THE LITTLE HELPERS OF INSPIRATIONAL

EDUCATION ...................................................................................................... 126

36. AFGHANISTAN’S FUTURE IS BUILT ON SKATEBOARDS AND

CONTAINERS .................................................................................................... 129

37. HOW TO CONQUER THE CHALLENGES OF SHIPPING CONTAINER

ARCHITECTURE? ............................................................................................. 131

38. SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND OTHER AMAZING SWIMMING POOLS .... 135

39. BILL GATES’S SHIPPING CONTAINERS TURN POOP INTO ENERGY! ..... 139

40. FLOATING CONTAINERS – ASSISTANTS FOR NAVY SEALS .................... 142

41. CONTAINER BATHHOUSES FOR HEALTHY HEDONISTS .......................... 144

42. CONTAINER OBSERVATORY – THE BEST PLACE FOR FIRST DATE! ..... 146

43. PLEASANT WAITING IN CONTAINER TRAIN STATIONS ........................... 149

44. MUSIC MADE PHYSICAL IN A GIANT CONTAINER GUITAR! ................... 152

45. CONTAINER B&B COMPLETES YOUR DREAM VACATION IN SPAIN! ... 155

46. CONTAINER MICRO HOMES WILL REVOLUTIONIZE AFFORDABLE

HOUSING ........................................................................................................... 159

47. CONSTRUCTIONS THAT DEFY THE LIMITS OF SHIPPING CONTAINER

ARCHITECTURE ............................................................................................... 162

48. THE MANY ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATIONS OF SHIPPING

CONTAINERS VOL. 1 ....................................................................................... 165


CONTAINERS VOL.2 ........................................................................................ 169


CONTAINERS VOL. 3 ....................................................................................... 173


CONTAINERS VOL.4 ........................................................................................ 176


CONTAINERS VOL.5 ........................................................................................ 179


CONTAINERS VOL.6 ........................................................................................ 182


CONTAINERS VOL.7 ........................................................................................ 185


CONTAINERS VOL.8 ........................................................................................ 188


CONTAINERS VOL.9 ........................................................................................ 191


CONTAINERS VOL.10 ...................................................................................... 194


CONTAINERS VOL.11 ...................................................................................... 197


CONTAINERS VOL.12 ...................................................................................... 200

60. THE ARTISTIC MASTERPIECES OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS .................... 203

61. CONTAINER ISLAND RESORTS – AMERICA’S NEW DUBAI...................... 206

62. CONTAINER HOMES – ONLY THE QUESTION OF MAKE OR BUY ........... 209

63. ILLUMINATING A CONTAINER CAVE WITH IMPROVISED NARRATIVE212

64. SHIPPING CONTAINER BEER GARDEN – SACRAMENTO’S LITTLE

GERMANY ......................................................................................................... 215

65. CONTAINER TOWERS OF DEEP DIVES AND HIGH FLIES .......................... 217

66. THE CONTAINER SHOPS OF ALLURING ASIAN BEAUTIES ...................... 220

67. HOW ACADEMIA CHANGES WHAT WE THINK ABOUT SHIPPING

CONTAINERS .................................................................................................... 223

68. ROCK CLIMBING ON THE CONTAINERS OF BANGALORE ....................... 226

69. CONTAINER HOUSES – AFFORDABLE HOMES AND A LOT MORE ......... 228

70. CONTAINER HOUSES – HOBBITS IN THE MORDOR OF ARCHITECTURE231

71. GOOGLE – THE NEW CREATOR OF CONTAINER ARCHITECTS ............... 235

72. CONTAINER HOMES – THE ILLEGAL SAVIORS OF ECONOMIES AND THE

ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................ 237

PROLOGUE ................................................................................................................. 240

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................. 243

9

EPILOGUE

When I’m writing the epilogue of this book it’s almost four months since I started my

internship in Shanghai Metal Corporation. I still remember clearly the first day I

stepped out of the elevator at the 20th

floor of Yu An building and saw the empty recep-

tion desk. At that time it was still summer, a typical hot and moist Shanghainese sum-

mer. My shirt was already wet when the HR manager took me to the office and showed

me my becoming working station. That awkward memory or at least its emotional in-

fluence has been replaced with other great memories.

To be honest, I had no idea at the first place why did I come to SMC or what should I

do there. They had just started doing content marketing by writing blogs, posting them

on Wordpress and sharing them on Facebook and Twitter. Since then the way content

and social media marketing strategies have been modified various times. After two

months I was promoted as the head of social media marketing and after our CEO Bryan

Wang wanted each department to design a development strategy for social media, I

knew I had to teach myself this ball game.

Social media marketing is not an easy task, because there is simply just so much to

do with it and needs to spend the whole day with managing all the platforms. My work-

ing hours were normally from eight to five but most of the days I needed to stay longer.

When I started at SMC it was mainly Twitter and Facebook with a little bit of Insta-

gram and without any particular idea on how these media could help the company to

position itself in the scope of all the possible interest groups. Another problem was that

our blogs seemed to have a very short life. The major part of our blogs, the blogs creat-

ed by other interns before me did not seem to spread in the Internet. There were many

blogs that had been viewed only once or twice during it weeks of months of age. Today

SMC gets from five views to six hundred views per blog.

I believe that like products, blogs also go through different states after they are

brought to the public. They reach a certain level of majority in some stage after which

their popularities drop gradually. Blogs are different from products since they move to

different stages faster. They can also be resurrected and put back to a new loop. This is

possible because most of the social media are actually streams. The number of impres-

sions that a post generates, say, on Twitter is related to the amount and speed o posts

other put in the stream. Putting hashtags puts the posts to different streams which have

different speeds. Therefore timing has a crucial role in collecting impressions and en-

gagement. Retweeting puts posts back on top of the pile, at the first position in streams.

Not only Twitter work like this. Also many content curation and social bookmarking

services such as Reddit or Digg are streams. It’s not always the content itself that gener-

10

ates engagement. The content has to be timed perfectly. It is more practical to post them

again. A notorious entrepreneur and the world’ 500 richest man Mark Cuban has once

said that companies that do social media fail in the sense that they trust too much that

their posts will last. I tried to fix this problem in SMC.

Creating quality content that engages people is even more challenging. I spent a lot

of my free time trying to figure out how to get people read my blogs. I literally used my

free time since my boss is a highly sophisticated CCTV system in our office and time

for to watch people (please do not mind the sense sarcasm of sarcasm in this phrase).

Still I sort of got the hang of it. There is a rule that says that content needs to interesting,

informative and entertaining. Good articles fit into all of these dimensions. I know some

of my colleagues concentrated either the entertainment or the informative aspect. Some-

times I even tried too much to make my articles entertaining. I was even criticized by

one of my colleagues of not writing professional articles that would engage our existing

customers and give a direct contribution to sales. I never believed I could generate sales

by writing an article. Besides, if I did, how could one track that a customer made a pur-

chasing decision based on my blog? I don’t see this scenario ever happening in B2B. I

found more realistic to try to write articles that people would find interesting enough to

share and thereby create buzz, visibility and in the long run, revenue indirectly. There-

fore I needed to make my blogs interesting, informative and engaging.

At the end of the day, the content is done for social media platforms, platforms that

encourage social interaction. I did not find it reasonable to write about steel’s grades,

melting temperatures, alloys and all that stuff. I’d rather encourage contacting our sales

personnel for those questions. I wanted to balance between the three dimensions.

Social media marketers usually want to achieve a certain goal; to make their posts go

viral. It happened to me, at least relatively speaking, when my article “Liquid Packaging

Made Famous by a Watch Company” was shared in two active forums. The article was

about how a Spaniard watch company Festina packed its waterproof watches in plastic

bags to demonstrate the watches quality. At that time we did not share our articles in

many platforms but it still generated almost two hundred views in one weekend. Just for

comparison I need to say that our total number of views for May where 147. This article

was published in August which was our best month at that time with 3,600 views. The

article’s links to SMC’s liquid packing machine generate traffic even today.

On August the 22th I wrote my best article, at least in terms of number of total views.

“Container Houses – The Next Big American Dream” became the all-time number one

SMC article in one day. It was shared by The Professional Builder Magazine, which

brought a lot of viewers from the US region. After doing some research I noticed that

there is a huge market and a lot of people interested in shipping container houses and

shipping container architecture. Many people are struggling to get affordable living fa-

cilities for themselves and their families. I saw that the name of the article should repre-

11

sent hope and express a way for people to fight their fears and to solve this problem. I

knew I took a risk of making a statement that container homes are an incarnation of the

American Dream. I was afraid that the article would narrow the views only to the Unit-

ed States leaving my numbers really low. Now that the article has generated over 1,300

views and it is still doing that, I wonder if saying that container houses are the American

Dream was a long shot after all.

There is little I know about creativity. Even though my blogs filled the SMC top 30

list, I still wasn’t able to repeat what I did with the American Dream. People sometimes

ask me how to write engaging articles. I’ve noticed that the most common mistake that

people make is that they rewrite the articles that already exist. Why would someone

share your articles when they can share the original ones? That’s why I have to encour-

age people to write value-added articles. By value-added I mean doing something that

has of value and does not already exist. We can always give our own insights, use met-

aphors or our intellectual capital to bring out the value-adding part, the part that makes a

difference.

Steve Jobs once said that creativity is about connecting the dots. The catch is that you

need first to find the dots. In SMC we were assigned with products that our articles

should be about. Those products were a set of dots. The other dots we needed to find

ourselves. Maybe there was an event you encountered in your daily life, something you

have read about or some other things you can associate with. Those events, experiences

and intellectual capital are the other set of dots. If you find a way to link the dots be-

tween these sets, you will write great articles. It is really not about the products, it’s the

other set that makes a difference. It works for blogs since they should reflect the person

behind them. When you read these blogs about shipping containers’ applications you

will surely come to think how twisted my mind really was. In some blogs I tried to be

funny and some blogs were to bring my intellectual insights into play. I’m sorry if my

messages won’t get to you but sometimes it is just difficult to put ones ideas into words

and phrases.

I became specialized in shipping containers. This book is therefore only about the

blogs I wrote about containers and how they can be applied in various contexts. It was

more than fascinating to find out in how numerous ways they could be used. What’s

more I’m not the only one. These blogs and the shipping containers-related posts in so-

cial media generate the majority of traffic to SMC’s website. Maybe the company

should try to position their container products from houses and shipping tools to cover

all of these applications. Anyway, that is not my ball game anymore since I will leave

SMC and leaving this book behind me.

Sometimes I still feel amazed on how shipping container, steel crates meant for ship-

ping goods across oceans, became most essential materials in today’s affordable hous-

ing industry. Many products that have had a huge impact in our daily lives were invent-

12

ed by accident. Potato chips, Coca-Cola, cornflakes and Play Doh are only some in-

stances. Shipping container architecture also fits into that category. I even dedicated a

blog about this topic.

There is a massive oversupply of shipping containers. They are brought to ports by

import driven countries such as the United States. Some containers drop off board dur-

ing shipping. My first blog “Where Did All the Ducks Go” discusses this topic. It is a

story about lost containers that shipped rubber ducks that disappeared along with their

container. Most of them are never found but some them have been encountered in very

interesting locations including Antarctic regions. This is one of amazing stories related

to shipping containers and one of which I found extremely interesting.

The containers that find their ways to their destinations are really seldom sent back.

The costs of sending the containers back empty are just too high. Some countries that

are very active in exporting can reuse them in shipping goods. For example based on

my market research on the Chilean shipping industry, Chile reuses 87% of imported

shipping containers in exporting goods. The countries that are not really active in ex-

porting have environmental issues with having hundreds of thousands of abandoned

shipping container piled in their ports. The United States is probably the best example

on this.

In the USA there seems to be a big number of households that are trying to find ways

of building their own homes with relatively low costs. These reused shipping containers

offer them hope. There are also some businesses that purchase containers from ports and

build custom-made houses out of them. There are also many people who want to build

their houses themselves. On paper it seems a really good option, as used containers

costs approximately one to two thousand US dollars per unit. There are still a lot of

challenges that could escalate into failures of these DIY projects or at least leverage the

costs higher than in conventional building. In my blogs I tried to cover as many benefits

of shipping container architecture as possible and also remind the people about the pit-

falls related to it. You will also encounter this consensus in these blogs.

There is so much that one can create from shipping containers, besides architecture I

also discussed how shipping containers are used in arts and academic research. Actually

my blog of a container kaleidoscope became one of my most popular blogs by generat-

ing over 600 views in one day.

Still, most of my container blogs are related to architecture. There are container ho-

tels, container garages, container swimming pools etc. I tried to write at least one blog

of each architectural instance. I even gathered them together on a series of container

architecture. “The Many Architectural Applications of Shipping Container Architec-

ture” encompasses twelve chapters that are recaps of my former articles.

Container homes are becoming more and more the mainstream in affordable housing

but I personally believe that these other architectural applications will follow. There

13

seems to be a lot of interest towards this topic. In Facebook there are a lot of groups

related to container architecture. I used to share my articles on these interest groups. The

shares generated a lot of engagement and likes in our Facebook page and also brought a

lot of viewers to my blogs. The links on blogs directed the stream to the company web

pages. This is how I learned to use organic Facebook marketing efficiently. I think there

is just too much discussion on how one should use paid marketing in Facebook. I am

not saying one shouldn’t use paid advertising. I’m just saying that one should always

keep in mind the essential lessons of marketing; to divide the focus groups into seg-

ments, to target and focus on creating content that tackles a certain target groups fears

and interests. Sharing container housing blogs in container housing Facebook container

housing groups is an example of how the fundamental lessons of marketing are done in

practice.

Practice also goes to show that when people are reached with content they can asso-

ciate with, they will give their own insights. In social media I tried to encourage people

to speak out what problems have they encountered and what are they interested in. Their

replies gave me insight on writing more blogs about container architecture. I’m not sure

if my blogs became a part of solutions to their problems but at least I managed to create

discussion. Sometimes it is good to be wrong. I sometimes received comments how the

information I offered in my blogs was outdated and not true. I got all of my information

from secondary sources, in other words, from articles written by other people. How

could I have known the information was incorrect? The catch is that if I didn’t share my

blog, nobody would have spoken out and shared their knowledge. This is the true power

of social media. At its best, it generates discussion and sophisticates people. We just

need give people a little push. Even though my blogs did not always get positive feed-

back, they still gave the push and now many people are wiser.

I hope you will also get wiser and generate your own opinion when reading these

blogs. They were with passion and under pressure. I tried to write them in as common

language as possible but due to my wide educational background, one Master’ and two

Bachelor’s degrees in university I sometimes made the language too sophisticated.

Please understand my point-of-view while reading them. I ensure you’ll encounter sto-

ries that will trigger your interest. They all sure triggered mine.

14

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I learned a lot during my internship in SMC. I learned a lot about social media, con-

tent marketing and how businesses are traditionally run in China. My boss Bryan Wang

is a really traditional Chinese manager and I understand his criticism that social media

efforts cannot generate sales for him in the short run. Even though there were some ide-

ological differences I still learned a lot from him. I think I learned the most from my

foreign colleagues. They have given a huge contribution in my people and organization-

al skills. These people truly left a mark. The people in marketing Camilla, Siobhan, Sil-

via and Ayu and the people in inquiries department Tom, Nicolas, Pasquale, Nishant,

Dominick, Jonathan, Mario, Henry and Jordan made me think about things I would

have never figure out with my bounded rationality. The conversations about what was

wrong and how things should be done opened many aspects that I will certainly consid-

er in my next businesses. The conversations with the locals also expanded my cultural

and linguistic abilities. Even though I’m not an expert of China I now understand it bet-

ter and I’m more fluent in speaking the language.

Of all the people I also have to thank my girlfriend Zhang Zhihui who most of the

days came pick me up at work and at home forced me to rest and stop thinking about

work related issues. During my internship she promised to marry me and move with me

to Finland. She is a woman who requires a lot of attention. It is a good thing since I

have all my life suffered from focusing too much on work or school related issues dur-

ing my free time. I hope she will continue on helping me to deal with stress and stay by

my side. A lot of gratitude needs to be given to her family, especially her mother who

has made so many sacrifices on raising her as the third child in a society that allows

giving birth only to one child. Also my family has made huge sacrifices by letting me

move to China and start a life here. I hope this book will make them proud of what I

have achieved here.

All of these people and many others I was associated with during my internship have

impacted on how I managed as employee and how have I grown more mature from the

day I started here. The blogs in this book are sorted according to the time they were

published. Thereby they might show some traces of my personal development. I hope

you can experience at least a bit of entertainment when reading them. They were all

written based on public information on the Internet. Therefore I’m in great gratitude

with authors of the original articles. I’ve listed all of their work in the references and

given them an ID number in the brackets. You should also check these sources and

share them on social media platforms. At the end of each article there is a section that

shows which references are associated with my blogs. I’ve also tried to give honor to

15

the information providers, the protagonists and the companies mentioned in my articles.

They have all done great work and given a huge contribution to the development of con-

tainer architecture industry. I wish that the stories and the attached pictures will help

them to create presence and extend their brands. It has been my objective to help them.

Therefore I wish they will not get angry with me by using their names and pictures.

These blogs are actually success stories. Stories that change the industry and the world

we live in. I hope you will enjoy reading them. You can always check them and my

other blogs also online at http://goo.gl/NF9NYl.

Tuomas Poukkula // SMC Editor

Shanghai, November the 28th

, 2014

16

1. WHERE DID ALL THE DUCKS GO? AUGUST 8, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

On January 1992, over 29,000 rubber ducks, turtles and frogs fell from a cargo ship in

the Pacific Ocean. Since then, these plastic toys have been floating around the world

passing Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. Some of them have spent their years frozen in an

Arctic ice pack.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/where-did-all-the-ducks-go/

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/author/shanghaimetalcorporation/

17

Over 22 years ago, a 40-foot steel shipping container was knocked down due to

rough seas and huge waves. Along with several other containers, all the bath toys were

knocked overboard.

Some estimates suggest that up to 10,000 containers fall into the ocean every year.

The World Shipping Council, whose members represent 90% of the world’s container

ship capacity, say that figure is grossly exaggerated and estimate that on average no

more than 350 containers are lost annually.

Due to severe weather and high seas, accidents or incorrect stowage, there are now

shipping containers littering the seabed all around the world. Many float on the surface

for months; some rupture and release their goods, but most eventually sink to the bot-

tom — creating deep-sea stepping stones between ports across the globe.

Since the accident, oceanographers have tried to track all the bath toys. Only about

3% of the missing toys have been reported. It is also estimated that there are only about

a few hundred items left drifting in the world’s seas. CNN has published a map that

indicates where the toys have run ashore. See references for further details.

References: [1-4]

18

2. CONTAINER HOMES – SOLUTION

FOR STUDENT HOUSING AUGUST 11, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

In Finland there is a high demand for student homes as the number of available apart-

ments in student villages is getting lower. Due to the low supply, students are also

forced to pay a very high monthly rent. Some students have to pay over 800 Euros rent

every month. According to a survey conducted by the Finnish periodical Iltalehti, 40

percent of the thousand respondents said that their funds are really low due to expensive

rents. They are now designing economical student homes, made of containers.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/container-homes-solution-for-student-housing/


http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/container-homes-solution-for-student-housing/

19

Harri Nordling, a Finnish container home designer, has designed beautiful container

student homes. The container homes can be applied to build multistoried blocks of flats

using containers. This sort of solution has already been applied in Sweden. Container

homes are easy to build. They are also low-cost and environmentally friendly.

The only obstacle for applying the solution seems to be on the legislative and ideo-

logical aspect. The local decision makers need to be convinced and societal acceptance

needs to be acquired from a large audience. The container student homes have been

presented in the city of Pori, where the solutions have gained positive feedback both

from the city’s authorities as well as from the public.

20

The designed student homes are 14 square meters, including a bathroom, a living

room and a kitchen. They also plan to design a garden and some room for recreation on

their roofs. It is yet uncertain when the container homes can be mounted, but it only

seems to be a matter of time.

References: [4-5]

21

3. LUXURY CONTAINER HOTELS AUGUST 14, 2014 CONTAINERSSMC

A container hotel system is a new trend to take the hotel business closer to a specific

clientele. Besides, the hotel solutions are made for luxury consumers offering them a

wonderful experience.

For example an UK company Snoozebox offers portable hotel services to any loca-

tion or any events. The portable lodge has 40-400 rooms and each room has a flat screen

and a Wi-Fi.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/luxury-container-hotels/


http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/author/containerssmc/


https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/containerhotel1.jpg

22

Sleeping around is a Belgium pop-up hotel company located in Antwerp. It offers

container hotel rooms that are equipped with rain showers, box-spring beds, iPod dock-

ing stations and air conditioning. They also have rooms with saunas.

A luxurious looking container hotel village has also been built in Changzhi, the city

of Shanxi province in China. In addition to their high-end indoor design, Xiang Xiang

Xiang Pray House is located in Taihang mountain gorges area giving the village a beau-

tiful natural environment.

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/snoozebox1.jpg

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/sleeping1.jpeg

23

China is a major exporter of container homes with over 3 million containers shipped

in 2011. CNN Travel writes that the idea came from the Japanese when they imported a

large amount of containers to build temporary homes for the survivors of the 2011 tsu-

nami earthquake.

Sources: [6 - 10]

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/xiang1.jpg

24

4. FIRST CAMEL MILK PRODUCTS

SHIPPED TO EUROPE

AUGUST 18, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The dairy product business is a highly competitive industry in Europe with players such

as Danone Group, Unilever and Nestlé owning the biggest market shares. A United Ar-

ab Emirates based company is differentiating itself from the biggest players by shipping

camel milk to Europe.

The Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products is now bringing its camel milk

products to European consumers. It is the first company that the European Commission

has granted the license to ship camel milk products to Europe. The first products under

the ‘Camelicious‘ brand were shipped in 2013 and they consisted of camel milk pow-

der, fresh camel milk and camel whey powder.

Camel milk is a really low fat type of milk and has more calcium than any other

milk. Also its Vitamin C content is 3-5 times higher than cow’s milk. There are no

known allergies for camel milk and also people suffering from lactose intolerance are

able to digest it.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/first-camel-milk-products-shipped-to-europe/




25

Shipping Camel Milk is also a new application for cold chain logistics. The cold

chain involves the transportation of temperature sensitive products along a supply chain

through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods and the logistical planning to pro-

tect the integrity of these shipments. There are several means in which cold chain prod-

ucts can be transported, including refrigerated trucks, refrigerated cargo ships as well as

by air cargo.

Sources: [11 - 14]

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/smc-qr-code1.jpg

26

5. NEW BUILDING MATERIALS –

CONTAINERS, SNOW, LEGO AND

BEER! AUGUST 20, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Most of us probably share a concept that houses should be built out of, say, wood, stone

or concrete. But as we can see, the variety of building materials is actually larger than

we would have thought.

For instance in Finland’s city of Kemi, every year they build a large castle of ice and

snow. In the castle there is a chapel for couples to get married, a restaurant and a hotel.

The hotel rooms’ temperatures are about -5 degrees Celsius. The hotel also has a lounge

with a sauna and a heated swimming pool. The lowest room rate is 125 Euros. More

information about the snow castle can be found through references.

The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew Buddhist temple in Thailand is constructed from a

million glass beer bottles. The mosaics made of beer bottle lids create mesmeriz-

ing patterns to the walls. The green glass walls also diffuse light beautifully in the tem-

ple.

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27

A Top Gear celebrity James May built a two-story house which was able to be lived

in. For building the house he used over three million Lego blocks, yes, Lego. Another

famous Lego building is in Hungary’s Budapest where they have built a Lego tower of

over 34 meters tall (114 feet). The tower has been confirmed as the world’s tallest Lego

tower by Guinness World Records.

Shipping containers are getting more mainstream in building relatively cheap but

luxurious accommodation. For example in Finland they are building student apartments

out of used containers. In China they have a luxurious container village.

28

Sources: [15-17, 6, 18-21]

29

6. CONTAINER HOUSES – THE NEXT

BIG AMERICAN DREAM


The container housing industry is becoming mainstream as it is now a sub category of

affordable housing. Building a home out of shipping containers enables also medium

income consumers to hire an architect in a very reasonable price. Thereby, container

homes might be the next American dream.

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Companies have also noticed the advantages of container housing. For instance Star-

bucks has already installed its container coffee shops in Seattle and London. Container

homes also come with a pretty nice design.

One of the benefits of shipping containers is their modularity. They are made as same

sized and designed to be piled up and fit optimally in cargo ships. Containers are like

Lego blocks. You can pile them up and thereby even create a multiple floor or a multi-

ple wing mansion.

Shipping containers are also designed to be able to resist rough weather in seas.

Thereby they are made of really durable and tough material that ensure the safety of a

31

container home. In addition, the material is really simple to modify. Cutting, reforming

and other modifications are done by welding which is a simple and cheap procedure.

Building a nice patio with a jacuzzi is suddenly affordable.

Also one great thing about containers is that they are available in all over the world

and their transportation is extremely convenient. Containers are designed to fit in a

standard shipping cargo leaving no blank space in the ships. Because of the new main-

stream use of containers, their weight-to-value ratio is to increase.

The benefits of container homes have been recognized worldwide. For instance, in

Finland, container housing is becoming a great solution for offering affordable student

32

homes. Also the world's hotel industry is going wild of containers as new companies

offering transportable accommodation solutions emerge. Container hotels are also in a

luxury top-end category in the hotel industry.

China is a major exporter of shipping containers and Shanghai Metal Corporation is

one the know players.

Sources: [22-30]

33

7. THE WORLD’S BIGGEST MOBILE

FRIDGE SAILED IN PARIS AUGUST 25, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Versailles, Moulin Rouge, those are the places

to visit in Paris. In 2009, the city of love also became famous of a creative marketing

campaign.

The Korean electronics company LG set up a creative marketing campaign for their

ecological fridge. The company, one of South Korea’s largest chaebols, turned a 70 me-

ter container ship into the world’s biggest fridge that sailed up the Seine from Le Havre

to Paris between June 22 and June 25. The vessel transported cooking ingredients that

the famous 3-star Michelin chef Alain Passard cooked for visiting journalists.

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LG’s ecological fridge uses a patented “Linear Compressor” technology that is to

lower energy consumption up to 20 percent compared to other conventional fridges. The

new fridge technology has also received an A+ rating from the EU.

Refrigerated containers, or reefer containers, are mainly used for shipping tempera-

ture sensitive products even with extremely long distances. Reefer container technology

enabled for instance the shipping of Camel Milk from the United Arab Emirates to Eu-

rope.

35

As businesses are getting more aware of the benefits of refrigerated containers, new

uses for them are emerging. Reefer containers are basically tools that combine mobility

and cold chain. One can set up a temperature sensitive business and still vary

its location. For example, Atlanta’s Botanical Garden used a refrigerated container to set

up a mobile bio-secure research laboratory for their research on frogs in 2011. Reefer

containers are also convenient in, say, open-air events where organizers need to keep

their heavy loads of Red Bulls and Coca-Colas chilled all the time.

Like LG, Shanghai Metal Corporation‘s reefer containers also use environmentally

friendly and energy efficient technology that generate a really low CO2 footprint. We

also apply high standards in their quality assurance.

Sources: [31-35]

36

8. CONTAINER SHOPS – THE NEW

HOT TREND IN MODERN RETAIL-

ING!


Conventional retailing includes setting up a store in a fixed location and paying the rent

for the use of the real estate. Modern retailing on the other hand, is mobile, meaning that

instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, you will be able to easily relocate

your business closer to your customers. This simple procedure is going mainstream and

it can only be done with shipping containers. Boxman Studios have listed some benefits

of container stores.

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Wherever there is a container pop-up store there is always crowd, there is no ques-

tion about that. This phenomenon has been proven by various consumer brands includ-

ing Nike that “just did it” and designed a shipping container to reach its lacrosse mar-

ket, making 38 stops in 52 days across the U.S.

Another reason why container pop-up stores attract consumers is that they are

equipped with electricity generators that can be used to set up Wi-Fi hotspots. While

surfing online they can also admire ads on containers’ vertically extended walls and

perhaps scan your company’s QR code with WeChat.

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What’s more, container pop-up stores are 100 % customizable. Containers come with

various kinds of door solutions, letting companies customize to pop-up stores according

to their brands.

Adidas also executed a successful pop-up campaign in 2012’s Boston Maraton where

it attracted many people among 27,000 runners. The German sports brand also showed

its creativity by bringing a shoe box shaped container store to Chicago’s Lollapalooza

music festival in 2010.

39

Especially clothing companies are going for pop-up retailing. Besides Nike and

Adidas, also Lacoste and Uniqlo have had their container shops to visit California and

New York.

Generator enabled and refrigerated containers have also made it possible for restau-

rant businesses to step in the pop-up business. During the construction of the new World

Trade Center in New York City, the fast food chain Subway offered the workers an ex-

clusive Subway store consisting of three stacked containers moved higher and higher up

the building as the building grew. Starbucks has also opened some innovative drive-thru

container stores across the U.S.

References [36-43]

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9. CAN CONTAINER POP-UP SHOPS

CHALLENGE E-COMMERCE?

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

E-commerce enables new innovative retailers to a start a business with a relatively small

initial capital. As it is easy for new businesses to emerge and new products to be offered

with affordable prices, e-commerce can benefit the sellers, buyers and societies. Still,

the advantages of traditional retailing exist and, luckily, the cost-related disadvantages

might be diminished with the use of shipping containers.

The use of shipping containers in retail real estate can break most of the disad-

vantages related to traditional retailing. By default traditional retailing suffers from high

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fixed costs, long leases, expensive rates and inflexible terms to name but a few. Also, as

setting up a store takes forever, the costs tend to add up. Even though shipping contain-

ers are not originally designed to be used as real estate, they still are the most optimal

solution.

Shipping containers are designed to be shipped in extreme weather conditions in

rough seas. Therefore they offer the best protection towards any weather, even against

hurricanes. They are built of durable material and are sized according to international

standards. Therefore they are also modular and stackable allowing retailers to compile a

retail center according to her own taste in a very short time period. Even a shopping

mall can be built in three to four months from scratch. Containers are also affordable,

say, a used container may be sold by about US$1000.

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E-commerce cannot fight back traditional commerce in certain areas. Security issues

are always on top when establishing an online store. Possible credit card frauds might

scare the customers away which forces businesses to invest a lot of money to buy ex-

pensive information security services and develop a secure payment infrastructure. Also

it is very likely that an online retailer might suffer major goodwill losses as customers

become disappointed when the received products do not match with the products

viewed online.

Containers shops as a form of traditional commerce enable face-to-face communica-

tion with customers and thereby better possibilities to create mutual trust between

sellers and buyers. It will also be possible for sellers to present more expensive alterna-

tives and thereby collect bigger profits. Container shops are not also tied to a fixed loca-

tion but can be relocated many times.

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By default, container shops cannot get to the same cost category with e-commerce.

Nevertheless, in a long term even maintaining an online store raises its maintenance

costs and online retailers will be forced to start reaching for the advantages gained only

via traditional commerce. The good thing is that, one is not forced to choose only one

option. One can have them both, and create a combined retail infrastructure that has all

the advantages of both online and offline retailing.

The suggested hybrid solution can only be implemented with shipping contain-

ers. Shanghai Metal Corporation has a long experience in offering shipping containers

for the use of housing, hotels and offices.

References: [29, 44-51]

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10. SHIPPING CONTAINER SWIM-

MING POOLS! SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

As the readers of our former articles have seen, shipping containers have others ways of

use besides logistics. Containers are not only convenient in student housing, hotel in-

dustry, affordable housing and retail, they also work as nice swimming pools.

A traditional swimming pool’s installation costs might be between US$6000 and

$50,000 not to mention excavation and decking costs. A shipping container, on the oth-

er hand, can be purchased with approximately $2000. The additional costs consists of

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making the pool water proof by lining the interior with a water-proof lining or welding

and painting the interior. Also, regular pool filters, pumps and fixtures should be fitted

to the container as well.

Shipping container pools have attracted crowd in many public events. For instance

the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger introduced a container swimming pool in Berlin’s

Bread and Butter fashion trade show in 2011. Also the city of New York has arranged

some container pool parties in Manhattan.

Also consumers have engaged into container pools. For instance, Stefan Beese, an

experimental architect who used a 30 cubic cargo container to turn his New Orlean’s

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backyard into a luxurious swimming zone. What’s more, he only needed about $5,000

to $7,000 to do that.

If you are looking for an inexpensive swimming pool solution you might want to

consider using a shipping container. Shanghai Metal Corporation has been a reliable

provider of shipping containers for years. SMC’s open top containers can become excel-

lent swimming pools. For winter swimmers, we also offer refrigerated containers.

References: [52]

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11. BATHING MADE MOBILE WITH

CONTAINER SAUNAS


There are a number of ways how to reuse used shipping containers. Besides houses,

offices, hotel, art galleries, stores and pools, shipping containers can be now used as

saunas. A Canadian design studio Castor has designed the first container sauna.

The 8 ft container is a fully-operational sauna box that uses wood for heating and solar

energy for lighting. The mobile sauna also comes with an integrated iPod stereo and an



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electric guitar hook-up. Also additional creature comforts such as a magnetic truck light,

castor stool, and bronze antlers are included.

Sauna is originally a Finnish invention and is deeply rooted into the nation’s way of life.

The Finnish history of using sauna for bathing and staying healthy spans over two thou-

sand years. The Finns have a sauna in every house but they also place saunas in the lake

or seaside of their summer cottages. Finns have formerly used portable saunas especial-

ly in military. Those saunas are most commonly made of tents.

49

The Finnish Sauna Society has made a list of sauna’s health benefits. Taking a sauna

bath is studied to enhance sleep quality and memory, to lower blood pressure, increase

energy levels and to cause good mood just to name but a few.

50

According to an article of Gizmag, Castor has sold about 10 units. The Sauna Box is

priced really high-end with US 41,000 price tag. It is still unclear when the Canadian

company will get competitors.

References: [53-58]

51

12. THE SOLUTION FOR OVER-

CROWDED PRISONS – CONTAINER

JAILS


Shipping containers are made to be durable. Because of their strength they are also an

ideal building material that can be used to build safe homes. Actually, the safety level of

shipping containers is so high that they can be used also to build prisons.

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52

In Australia’s Victoria, the local government is establishing a prison system made out of

containers. The plan is to set up 50 containers for a hundred prisoners until Christmas.

Victoria is an area of overcrowded prisons, and therefore containers bring an excellent

solution for the problem. Australia is also planning to apply the same solution in other

areas as well.

Victoria’s prisons are meant for medium-security prisoners. The next question could be,

taken the fact that shipping containers are as they are, how can one increase their securi-

ty level? Modifying the prisons environment would be the only option. Setting up an

Alcatraz style prison in the middle of an area of water area would work. That is actually

something that can be implemented with containers.

The idea of floating container recreation centers is being implemented in Europe. The

city of London is planning to construct a village of shipping containers on the River

Thames. The 15-acre site would have 50 homes, cafes, bars and restaurants. They have

also implemented some smaller scale projects in the Netherlands.

53

Whether it is container apartments or just tools for shipping goods, Shanghai Metal

Corporation can offer the solution. SMC’s shipping containers that can be used accord-

ing to clients’ preferences. To know more about SMC containers, please visit the com-

pany website.

References: [59-66]

54

13. PARTY IN A BOX! GOING WILD

IN CONTAINER NIGHT CLUBS!


Shipping Containers are designed to transport freight in rough weather conditions for

long distances. They are also all built according one international standard, so that the

loading of container ships can be optimized. Later on, their structure inspired architects

to design modular houses and now containers are used also e.g. as hotels, stores and

offices. Now they are also building night clubs out of containers.

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Shipping containers have strong foundations on each of four corners. The founda-

tions enable stacking and piling them into huge real estate complexes. A Singaporean

company Venue VBox is using this feature to build mobile discotheques out of contain-

ers.

The company’s “Night Box” pop-up nightclub is a container systems that can hold

500 people. Such systems are applied also in other countries. For instance New Orleans’

2009 and 2010 Voodoo Music experience event has had VIP lounges made of shipping

containers. It has been more common for businesses to open a temporary bar for crowd-

ed events by using a single container. Used containers cost between US 1000 and 2000.

The price, mobility and overall attractiveness makes containers a great solution for ar-

ranging mobile parties.


56

14. REEFER CONTAINERS – THE

BEST TOOL FOR SHIPPING PEN-

GUINS! SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

People are shipping some strange things these days. A British news service Metro lists

10 weirdest items that people have ever shipped. The list includes a dead cat, a live

hamster and a hot shepherd’s pie. The Denizen magazine writes about a person who

shipped Heinz ketchup from the United States to Singapore. FedEx has also gathered a

list of the weirdest items they have ever shipped. Some items are temperature sensitive a

therefore require a refrigerated shipping container. What could be a good example of

such an item? Well, penguins!

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The FedEx Corporation actually shipped nineteen African blackfoot penguins that

were saved from the Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The penguins traveled with two sea

otters in airfreight back to New Orleans from California where they spent their eight-

month refuge. The chartered flight of US$100, 000 was donated by FedEx and the pen-

guins had a nice reception with a purple mat waiting them at the airport.

Unlike African penguins, antarctic penguins live in very extreme conditions and can

survive a cold breezy weather. For example Emperor Penguins are one of the most

warm-blooded animals on the planet enabling them to breed even in low temperatures

of -30°C (-22°F) and while putting up with winds of 200 kmh (125mph) and more. The

emperor penguins can maintain a 38°C degree body temperature mostly by huddling

with other penguin buddies in a flock.

58

Besides an international shipping permission, shipping temperature sensitive items

such as penguins, otters or camel milk, one needs are frigerated shipping container.

Shanghai Metal Corporation has a long experience in supplying high-quality reefer con-

tainers. In SMC only sells environmentally friendly reefer containers that have a low

Co2 footprint. Our containers can maintain a temperature of -35°C at the lowest. More

information about our refrigerated containers can be found in SMC website.

References: [69-72]

59

15.THE CURE THAT LOWERS

AGRESSION CAUSED BY HIGH

TEMPERATURES


Many philosophers, writers and narrators have for ages shared a common belief that hot

temperatures increase violence and aggression. Even in the English language we use

expressions such as “hot tempered” or “hot headed” to describe the character of an ag-

gressive person. Scientists have also been interested in this connection for years, and

through various studies, they have also found evidence for the correlation.

Many laboratory, field, correlational and archival studies give a unanimous result:

hot temperature causes violent crimes. The emphasis is on the word violent, because

contradictional studies show that crimes also do occur in lower temperatures but they

are most commonly non-violent. Also archival studies show that when the weather is

hot e.g. a baseball player is more likely to hit the pitcher with a bat.

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Still, the correlation between high temperature and violence is not flawless. For in-

stance, what if everybody stayed at home on a hot day? Wouldn’t that prevent at least

some occurrences of violence? Time is also a critical factor in this sense. Most of the

violent crimes occur during the time when masses of people are most likely to engage in

activities at the same time. In general, when a third variable changes the correlation be-

tween two variables so remarkably, we are talking about the Simpson paradox. In this

case time changes the situation so that the relation between temperature and violence

needs some modification.

Scientists have redefined the correlation and state that when the temperature rises

above an uncomfortable level, the probability for aggression and violence rises as well.

Therefore it is really important to ensure that especially public places such as

schools, shopping malls and even prisons have an enhanced air conditioning system. A

research also shows that drinking cold beverages will decrease the probability of be-

coming angry..

61

Especially today, during the times of increased global warming, it is really important

for countries and cities to keep their citizens cool. Today when we discuss global warm-

ing, the emphasis seems to be on natural disasters or effects on agriculture. What we are

very likely to forget that because global warming raises temperatures, the crime rates

will also increase. Most global warming experts predict that if temperatures rise be-

tween 2°F and 8°F (1.1°C to 4.4°C) the rates of violent assaults will also increase by

approximately 80,000 annually.

A new business idea for areas suffering from global warming (which by the way

means everywhere on the planet) is to establish pop-up cooling rooms, places where

temperature is substantially low and where people can spend a short time to cool down.

This can be easily implemented with refrigerated shipping containers whose tempera-

ture can decrease drastically (on extreme even below zero). In order to decrease crime

rates and increase public safety we really need to keep even the common people cool

and prevent their blood from boiling.

62

Shanghai Metal Corporation is an experienced supplier of high quality refrigerated

containers that are equipped with fresh air conditioning system and have a low Co2

footprint. More details about our reefer containers can be found in SMC website

(www.smccontainer.com).

References: [73 – 81]

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16. SHIPPING CONTAINER BUNKERS

– THE CURE FOR NATURAL DISAS-

TERS AND TERRORISM?


Due to their widely applicable physical features, shipping containers have become a

good alternative for affordable housing, mobile retail and building hotels just to name

but a few. Shipping containers can also be used as protective shelters for natural disas-

ters or terrorist attacks.

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There are a lot of options for choosing appropriate material for building a safe bun-

ker. Even though shipping container is not possibly the best alternative, due to its wide

availability and cheap price, for average consumers it is perhaps the only option. A used

shipping container can be purchased with approximately US$ 2000. The United States

use over a million shipping containers annually to import products from abroad but be-

cause it is expensive to ship them back, most of them stay in the US. According to some

estimates there are over 700,000 used shipping containers laying in US ports waiting for

new use.

Even though containers’ walls are designed to resist rough weather even in extreme

conditions, most people like to bury their container bases in order to make it invisible.

Still, one needs to take into consideration that the containers’ steel roofs are not made to

last heavy loads. Containers are designed to lie on their four strong corners. The four

corners also enable stacking various layers of containers. So therefore, after digging a

hole for the container one should design a frame that supports adding a gabion basket on

the container. The gabion basket filled with rocks will protect the container. See original

articles for more detail.

65

Where the containers’ exterior surrounding has some limitations, the interior design

is basically free for users’ own imagination. Today some containers come with an elec-

tric generator and bathroom solutions making the containers livable apartments.

Shanghai Metal Corporation has a long experience in offering high quality containers

for shipping and housing. For more details of our containers and container houses,

please see SMC’s website.

References: [158 - 165]

66

17. CONTAINER GREENHOUSES –

THE URBAN ORGANIC HEAVEN SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

What if you wanted to eat locally produced and reasonably priced fresh organic fruits

and vegetables during cold winter? Now it is possible, thanks to shipping containers.

Companies such as Freight Farms and PodPonics have introduced a new business

model that converts second hand shipping containers into high-quality greenhouses that

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can be relocated almost everywhere. Every shipping container is manufactured accord-

ing to ISO standards and they are also designed to be stacked into multiple layers. This

enables the establishment of even bigger greenhouse complexes.

One major advantage of container farms is that now farms can be located closer to

the places where the food will be eaten. Thereby, say, restaurants can minimize their

shipping costs and still offer their customers fresh and high quality food. Also the tech-

nology associated with the business ensures a safe plantation of fruits, herbs and vege-

tables.

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Damien Chivialle‘s model of urban farm units (UFU) has a system that uses live

fishes and to to fertilize and recycle the farms water. Every container has a fish tank

whose water flows in a closed circuit. The fish feces are broke into pieces that are uti-

lized as fertilizers. The system also produces some methane for the farms secondary

energy source.

Also PodPonics’ solution is said to use 90 % less water because the water is recy-

cled. The roots grow in water, not in soil. This solution minimizes the use of fertilizers

and enables the adding of nutrients only as needed. PodPonics’ and Freight Farms con-

trol systems can both be operated with a smart phone.

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The use of shipping containers as green houses seems to enhance the nutritional val-

ues of vegetables, herbs and fruits. It also enables companies to produce them closer to

the people who end up eating them. Because of a really low Co2 footprint and lack of

pesticides, urban farms create ultimate food safety. Now this food safety can also be

enjoyed by average consumers because the cost of maintenance of urban farms seem to

be feasible. For example PodPonics’ containers cost US 1800 to 2800 depending on

their condition.

In order to establish an urban farm, shipping containers need to be pur-

chased. Shanghai Metal Corporation is a reliable provider of internationally standard-

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ized shipping containers. More information can be found on SMC website

(http://www.smccontainer.com).


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18. BETTER EDUCATION OBTAINED

IN CONTAINER SCHOOLS SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Today shipping containers are used to build apartments, hotels, stores and saunas to

name but a few. But why does it make sense to build schools out of containers?

The first reason is that especially old wooden school buildings are likely to have

mold issues that may cause severe health risks. For example an article of a Finnish sci-

ence magazine Tiede states that every second school in Finland has mold issues. Stu-

dents are therefore either forced to stay in their mold school or move to another school.

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Container schools could be installed in relatively short time and with relatively low

costs.

The second reason can be studied from Samsung. In 2012, the South Korean elec-

tronics chaebol established a shipping container school in the South African village of

Phomolong as a part of its corporate-social responsibility program. The school offers its

21 students premium education facilities with solar powered electricity system and

notebooks, an Internet connection and Samsung Galaxy tablets.

In Orange County California, creative architects had an over three month project of

expanding the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa by using shipping containers. It took 99

days to build four buildings out of 32 shipping containers. The eco-friendly construction

project cost two million US dollars which was estimated of being 10-20 percent cheaper

than an “old-school” building project. Also it would have most likely taken more time

than 99 days to finish by using other material than shipping containers.

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There are many types of internationally standardized shipping containers. Some have

an open top and some can be opened from the sides. Thereby it gives designers limitless

opportunities to develop mobile education facilities. In order to solve mold related prob-

lems or take education to less developed areas, governments, nonprofit organizations

and companies’ CSR managers should look for containerized education solutions.

Shanghai Metal Corporation is a proud provider of shipping containers. The wide

variety of container products can be seen in our website http://www.smccontainer.com.


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19. SHAKESPEARE REBORN IN

CONTAINER THEATERS SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow’d. -

a Quotation from Shakespeare’s Othello

The modularity of shipping containers enables creative architects to design beauti-

ful container homes and hotels. Open top containers can be turned into swimming pools.

Open side containers can become excellent theaters.

In 2013 a local architecture studio O+A designed the architectural setting of the

20th Over het IJ Festival and transformed Amsterdam’s shipyard into a huge restaurant

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area with theatrical stages. The building of the “container city” took four days, and an-

other two days to take down, lasting only two weeks in between.

Shipping containers theaters have also been used in Miami. In 2012, the actors of

Microteatro por Dinero performed in 15 minute short dramas for 15 people six times a

night in a shipping container. The concept of “por dinero performance” (in English for

money) has its roots in Madrid where local actors turned an old bordello into a commer-

cial mini theater and spread the word in social media.

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Besides drama, shipping containers have also been used as movie theaters. Container

mini theaters showed short films in New York in 2011. The event was a part of USA

Network’s Character Project and it also was supported by the director of the Alien Sa-

ga, Ridley Scott. Audience was placed in 18-seat air conditioned screening pods to

watch the shorts. The tour also took place in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

It is yet unclear when does this “Broadway in a box” concept spread globally and go

mainstream. Still, because of these events, mobile mini theaters will gain popularity in

cinema and drama industries.

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Whenever there is a need for shipping containers, one can always contact Shanghai

Metal Corporation. SMC’s wide collection of shipping containers can help companies

to pack great entertainment in a box. For more information about our shipping contain-

ers, please visit the SMC website (http://www.smccontainer.com).


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20. COCA COLA SAVES LIVES WITH

SHIPPING CONTAINERS!


One of the world’s most valuable brands Coca-Cola is utilizing shipping containers in

its corporate social responsibility program in developing countries within the bottom-of-

the-pyramid (BoP) category. Together with Deka R&D and other major investors in-

cluding UPS and IBM, the beverage company is installing container kiosks that will

provide drinkable water for three billion people in the world that suffer from the lack of

it.

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These Ekocenters are to provide purified water for communities that have a limited

access to safe drinking water. The modularly designed kiosk is made out of a 20 ft ship-

ping container. The container is empowered with Slingshot technology that is responsi-

ble for the purification of water.

The kiosk is also meant to generate entrepreneurship in developing countries, espe-

cially among women. Along with these kiosks Coca-Cola has also launched

their 5by20 program that aims to generate 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year

2020.

As discussed in our previous article about container shops, setting a container kiosk

is a considerable business also in developed countries. Coca-Cola has redeveloped the

concept and is now using the Ekocenters for offering locally tailored mix of products,

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services and resources that also include sustainable energy, wireless communications,

refrigerated vaccination storage, health education, and other functionality to jump-start

entrepreneurship opportunities and community development.

This CSR project begun in 2013 as Coca-Cola set up its first Ekocenter in South Af-

rica. The company aims to install 1,500 to 2,000 Ekocenters by 2015 in Africa, Asia and

the Latin and North America.

As shipping containers gain more ways of use, Shanghai Metal Corporation is also

becoming happier in offering international customers high-quality standardized ship-

ping containers. For details about the large variety of products, please visit

SMC website.


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21. SHIPPING CONTAINER ARCHI-

TECTURE – ONE OF THOSE ACCI-

DENTAL INNOVATIONS


There is one factor that is common to shipping container houses, Coca-Cola, Play-

Doh and corn flakes. Just like a falling apple whose hit made sir Isaac Newton discover

his laws of physics, all of these products were also discovered unintentionally. For in-

stance Coca-Cola was meant to be a medical remedy for headaches, but as we all know,

the pharmacist John Pemberton‘s chemical experiment in 1886 became another sort of

refreshment.

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In today’s world’s constant pressure towards innovation, the most valuable discover-

ies can simply be found by accident, experiment or even emotion. For example potato

chips were invented in 1853 by an angry chef George Crum who became so sick of cus-

tomers complaining about his fried potatoes that he prepared them fried slices instead.

Surprisingly the customers did like the new dish and the rest is history.

Play-Doh was discovered in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker who attempted to

make an ingredient for cleaning wallpapers. A year later a toy manufacturer Rainbow

Crafts started marketing the product and since then, the toy with a secret recipe has sold

over 700 million US dollars.

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Corn Flakes were invented by accident when the Kellog brothers John and Will acci-

dentally left a pot of boiled wheat grain on the stove for several days. The mixture

turned moldy but the product that emerged was dry and thick. Next they tried it with

corn so corn flakes were created.

Shipping containers were invented and patented by Malcolm McLean, a trucker who

was tired of the slow process of loading cargo in wooden crates. His invention really

helped industries to save shipping costs. In 1956, loose cargo cost $5.86 per ton to load,

but the use of ISO shipping containers lowered the costs down to 0.16 cents.

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In 1987 Philip C. Clark saw shipping containers from another perspective and filed

them a US patent for converting them into habitable building. He has once said that

“Shipping containers can be so much more; they could be houses, schools, entire cit-

ies!”. Later on, many companies have implemented this idea.


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22. WHAT IF APPLE WAS STARTED IN

A SHIPPING CONTAINER? SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

On April 1, 1976, the two biggest Steves in the world’s history, Jobs and Wozniak,

started a company called Apple that has had a major impact in our lives. Like many

companies before and after them, the visionaire and the tech-guru started their business

from a garage.

Apple’s business started to gain momentum when an American investor with Finnish

family roots, Mike Markkula offered his financial capital and expertise on January the

first 1977. On April the same year, the company released its first masterpiece,

the Apple II personal computer that turned out be a ticket from the garage office.

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The next wave of success had to be waited until 1984 and the publishing of

the Macintosh. Apple had brought to the market the first computer with a graphical

user interface (GUI) already in 1983. But because the price of the computer

called Lisa was too high for consumers, Macintosh had to be the solution. Macintosh’s

ground breaking TV commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, was aired during the third

quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984.

Due to conflicts with the board of directors, Jobs was fired in 1985. According to his

speech in the university of Stanford in 2005, getting fired from Apple was one of the

best things ever happened to him. In 1996 Apple bought NeXt, the company founded by

Jobs, and then began the era of iMacs, iPods, iPhones and iPads. In the beginning of

September 2014, we all witnessed the publish of the new iPhone 6and the Apple

Watch.

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Many companies after and before Apple have started their business operations from a

garage. The list is long and it includes companies such as Disney, Hewlett-

Packard, Harley-Davidson, Google, Amazon and Mattel to name but a few. Today’s

start-ups, or, the multinational corporation of tomorrow have another choice besides a

garage, shipping containers.

Shipping containers are a modular building material that is also durable and feasibly

priced. Because of their physical properties, start-up business managers are able to de-

sign customized offices.


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23. AN ANTARCTIC PREFAB SHOWS

THE TRUE POTENTIAL OF SHIPPING

CONTAINERS SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

India’s National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research is situated in northeast Ant-

arctica. The Bharati Indian Polar Station is built on a 27,000 square feet area out of 134

shipping containers. The research center’s residential quarters shows almost everything

that can be built out of shipping containers including a hotel of 24 single and double

bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, library, fitness room, offices, a lounge and an opera-

tional theater.

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There are at least two reasons why the research complex was built by using shipping

containers. First, according to the Antarctic Treaty System, all the construction in the

Antarctica should not leave any trace to the environment. Shipping containers make it

possible to disassemble and remove the building without causing any environmental

impact.

Second, due to shipping containers’ physical properties and their durability, they are

an excellent building material for extreme weather conditions. Shipping containers are

designed to be shipped even in a rough weather in the world’s seas. Therefore they can

even handle the wind gusts of 200 mph and the temperatures of -40 C of the Antarctica.

The shipping container complex was prefabricated in Germany and shipped to Ant-

werp and Cape Town. In Antarctica the research center was able to be assembled quick-

ly. The facade of the center was designed to forestall the buildups of snow drifts.



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Thanks to the German company Bof Architekten, the center can accommodate 47 re-

searchers during summers and 24 during winters. The energy of the center is provid-

ed by a Combined Heat and Power Unit (CHP) which is powered by stockpiles of kero-

sene. There are actually a total of three CHP units on site, so as to ensure that an un-

timely mechanical failure does not leave the residents in dire straits.



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24. SHIPPING CONTAINER HOSPI-

TALS – THE FUTURE OF SAVING

LIVES SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers can be transformed into mobile hospitals just like they can be trans-

formed into offices, homes, hotels, theaters, nightclubs, shelters, stores or swimming

pools. Because of their modularity and availability, shipping container hospitals can

become true life savers in the future.

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Container hospitals have been already set up all over the world. For instance, con-

tainer clinics were needed when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti in 2010 and a

large part of the Grace Children’s hospital in the capital Port-au-Prince was demolished.

Help was offered by a Massachusetts based company Containers2Clinic that send their

8 X 20 feet container to the island to compensate the great infrastructural loss of the

local hospital.

The first shipping container clinics were invented by Michael Wawrzewski who de-

signed the concept of Clinics in a Can in 2005. Wawrzewski was also nominated as

the AAPA‘s 2005 Physician Assistant of the year for his work in developing quality,

cost-effective and accessible health-care. His first clinic was assembled in Kansas and

shipped to Haiti on July 2005.

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An example of combining health care and great design is shown by an Indonesian

firm DPavilion Architects that has utilized the country’s rich resource base of shipping

containers and built The Contertainer, a shipping container health clinic and a library in

the island of Jawa. The shipping container complex is meant to provide better quality of

life for those who have little money.

Shipping containers are built according to international ISO standards and designed

to be stacked and piled up in a container ship. They have also made from durable steel

in order enhance their use time and to be able to handle rough weather. As the example

of The Contertainer shows, even the exterior design of the mobile clinics is not limited

the original appearance of containers.

Container hospitals are the future of health care. For people in areas of low income

and weak availability of health care services, setting up a pop-up clinic can be a life

saver. Even in urban areas or peripheries patients do not necessarily have to be trans-

ported long distances in an ambulance because these pop-up hospitals can be placed

almost anywhere. For nonprofits such as UNICEF or Red Cross this solution is a must.

Investing in setting up a container clinic to underdeveloped areas is a great way for

businesses to show their corporate social responsibility.

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Shipping containers can be purchased from Shanghai Metal Corporation. SMC has a

large variety of shipping containers and we are also specialized shipping container pre-

fabricated construction projects.


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25. PLACES TO FALL HIGH AND

STAY ALIVE SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

“Most important thing in life is learning how to fall.”

― Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses

The concepts of falling from high places and staying alive together form a fascinating

combination. Danger and the sensation of flying cause adrenaline spikes that are unim-

aginable and can be described by only those who have the experience. Here are some

stories and places where to get that experience.

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The biggest jump of history was done by Felix Baumgartner who jumped from a bal-

loon 128,000 above ground. The highest ever free fall took him 10 minutes to descend.

Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute. Baumgartner also became

the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound.

Baumgartner has also base jumped into 673-foot Mamet Cave in Croatia’s Velebit

National Park. He successfully free fell and parachuted into the dark interior for a safe

landing on the rugged cave floor. The jump lasting only seconds, required perfect tim-

ing to survive.

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The world’s highest bungee jump can be done in China’s Macau. A jump from the

764 feet tall A.J. Hacket Tower takes you four to five seconds to land. During that time

jumpers need to tolerate the speed of 124 mph. The great thing is that one can do it at

night admire beautiful scenery and lights coming from the city’s casinos.

For beginners one good place for trying small-scale freefalls could be the world’s

tallest shipping container building in Zurich. The Swiss bag company Freitag has store

made out of 17 shipping containers that elevate the building to 85 feet.

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Shipping containers are modular and theoretically can be piled as high as possi-

ble. Piling is enabled by their strong foundations in all of the corners. Theoretically

speaking there is not any limit of how tall container buildings can be. The only thing

stopping seems to be the limitation related to forklifts and cranes.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers high-quality forklifts and a large variety of ship-

ping containers. The containers can be used in shipping goods or in construction pro-

jects.


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26. SHIPPING CONTAINERS – THE

WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE

RESTAURANTS SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers are a perfect solution for setting up a pop-up restaurant. As we al-

ready covered in our blog about container stores, container restaurants can be installed

almost everywhere and they are very likely to gather a lot of crowd. Some very well

know companies have already set up a mobile restaurant.

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In 2010, the sandwich company Subway had a shipping container restaurant on top

of the five story Freedom Tower in New York. Subway established the restaurant for

the construction workers who would otherwise have needed 45 minutes to get down

from the construction. The containers had the Subway logo on a yellow background and

the flag of the USA that represented the recovering from 9/11 and the resurrection of

the American Dream.

Shipping containers are also a form of sustainable building and offer an eco-friendly

and a low-cost solution for starting restaurants. One of the world’s best coffee

shops, Starbucks, has also used shipping containers and built such an eco-friendly

drive-thru cafe in Seattle. Alongside with shipping containers, the architecture also ena-

bles the collecting of rainwater and thereby lowering water consumption.

In 2011, the people of London, Moscow, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi,

Dubai and Sydney had a chance to enjoy traditional Singaporean food that was offered

form a shipping container restaurant. Thanks for shipping containers’ mobility

the Singapore Takeout were able to serve people in these cities within 12 months.

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As a new business idea, shipping container restaurants are an ideal low-cost choice.

During these hard times in the economy, people who have always wanted start an own

restaurant, but feel the lack of enough capital seem to have found a solution.

Shanghai Metal Corporation has a wide variety of containers including 20 ft, 40 ft,

reefer containers and open top containers to name but a few.


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27. WALKING ON THE STREETS OF

THE CITY OF CONTAINERS SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

A small community of businesses has established a city of shipping container restau-

rants, bars, stores and living spaces in the barrios of Cholula, only two hours from Mex-

ico City. The city of containers that is built out of used shipping containers is a great

center for shopping and entertainment.

The area of ‘Los Contenadores‘ comprises 50,000 square feet of shipping containers

and construction made out of other recyclable material such as bottle caps and plastic

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tubing. The alleys and streets formed by containers are great places to stroll around and

enjoy the local style. There’s also plenty of outdoor space to sit around and hang out

and there are events and bands scheduled all the time.

Shipping containers are mostly used to import products from abroad and are very

seldom sent back. Thereby taking advantage abandoned and used shipping containers

are a great solution for affordable housing. Containers are also an excellent tool for set-

ting up pop-up retail stores, such as in the ‘ciudad de los contenadores‘.

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The Container city is designed by Gabriel Esper Caram to combine both elegance

and sustainability. The harmony of the container’s bright colors and the city’s live mu-

sic ensure an unforgettable experience for visitors.

Shipping containers can be used in many circumstances. As the City of Containers goes

to show even luxurious stores, restaurants, night clubs, hotels or even homes can be

built by using this durable and highly available material.


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28. CONTAINER SUMMER PAVIL-

IONS – LUXURY FOR THE MODEST SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Have you ever dreamed about having a summer cottage of your own? Are you consider-

ing to buy one or perhaps to build it yourself? Building a vacation house according to

one’s own design sounds fantastic, but you might be worried about the costs or con-

fused about the choice of material. Luckily, there is a solution – shipping containers!

Besides shipping goods, shipping containers are also suitable for building beauti-

ful homes in low cost. Actually, the price of an individual 40 ft or 20ft shipping con-

tainer starts from US 2000. There are at least two reasons why the price is that low.

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First, the manufacturing process is standardized according to ISO regulations ena-

bling businesses to put containers into mass production. Second, there is a lot of over-

supply of containers. According to some statistics, nearly 10,000 units sink annually in

the world’s seas and thousands will be abandoned after their first use.

Building out of recycled shipping containers is as good as using totally new ones,

and it is also cheaper. Shipping containers are meant to last for ages and tolerate ex-

treme weather conditions in the oceans. Therefore besides low-cost, shipping contain-

ers are also durable and can be considered as a form of sustainable building. Containers

are so durable that they can even be converted into shelters for natural disasters.

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What’s more, shipping containers come with unlimited design opportunities. The door

solutions of shipping containers come in many forms and open-top containers can be

transformed into swimming pools. Thanks to the pillars in their four corners, containers

can be piled into a complexes of your desire. There are great examples

of homes, hotels and stores that show container’s great architectural design. The con-

tainer city in Mexico is known also for its visual design.

Inspiration for building an own container summer pavilion can be found in the container

summer house competition organized by AC-CA. The pictures of this article include

representatives of the best contestant of the competition.

References: [29, 166 – 168]

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29. LAS VEGAS CONTAINER HOTELS

– VIRTUES IN THE CITY OF SINS SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The Las Vegas design studio M-rad‘s design of the extreme sports park puts recycled

containers into reuse and takes a full advantage of them. The 42-acre container complex

built near the Las Vegas strip combines accommodation, commercialism and food pro-

duction.

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The sports park has versatile options for recreation. The shallow lake in the middle of

the park and its beaches enable people to do surfing or engage in other physical activi-

ties. There are also motocross tracks and skate parks among many sports venues.

Visitors of the park can stay at luxurious container hotel towers that offer a 180 de-

gree view on the park site. The container construction site consists of three container

towers of which two belong to the hotel. The third one is a production facility for local

organic food. Harvesting is done with the help of wind and solar energy that along with

natural ventilation meet 80 percent of the parks energy production.

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Shipping containers are a sustainable and durable building material whose use is

growing more and more mainstream. What’s more, due to their incredibly high availa-

bility, they would otherwise become industrial waste. Therefore, in order to prevent

environmental disorder, the use of recycled shipping containers in building

homes, hotels, offices, schools, hospitals or recreational facilities, is today’s eco-

friendly architectural solution.


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30. CRUISE SHIPS RESTING IN CON-

TAINER HAVEN SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

A new application for shipping containers was invented as the design compa-

nies Hombre de Piedra and buró4 built a cruise terminal out of shipping containers in

the port of Seville in 2013. The container terminal is to let the passengers of the city’s

river cruises to get on and off the ships.

They only needed 45 days in total to finish the project. Installing 23 shipping con-

tainers in a 500 square meter area took only two weeks. Therefore the installation costs

were not high just like the terminal’s energy production costs. The terminal is naturally

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ventilated and it can be easily moved if necessary. The buildings’ bioclimatic solutions

also ensure that it does not get hot in the terminal during Seville’s hot summers.

What’s more, the cruise terminal is designed to fit in the surrounding environment

giving this piece of cargotecture a natural touch. A dialogue with the urban environment

was an important objective for the project and thereby shipping containers were an ob-

vious choice for the building material.

The city of Seville wanted a terminal that was able to handle ships with varying

number of passengers sailing on the river Guadalquivir. Thanks to the use of shipping

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containers, the cruise terminal is also extendable allowing the agile installation of new

docking pods.

In prefabricated architecture the present trends is to use shipping containers because

they offer various benefits with only limited costs. Container architecture, i.e., cargotec-

ture is a big part of today’s sustainable architecture industry. There will be more homes,

hotels etc. that will be built on this super building material. Like the cruise terminal in

Seville, other cargotectural innovations will emerge.

References [172 -174]

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31. CONTAINER ARCHITECTURE – A

DIALOGUE WITH NATURE


Shipping containers are superior building material that enables people to build safe,

durable and environmentally friendly homes with a relatively small capital. Thanks to

strong pillars in their four corners, shipping containers can be piled into high complex-

es. One aspect that has not gained that much attention is that shipping containers can be

easily adjusted with their natural surroundings.

Shipping container architecture tries to use containers as wisely as possible in order

to minimize users’ costs also after the installation process. Usually shipping container

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buildings are equipped with solar panels enabling the utilization of sustainable and

green energy. For instance the Coca-Cola Company has installed solar-powered kiosks

to many developing countries.

Shipping containers are not only modular but also adjustable. The material sets only

a limited amount of limitations for designers and architects. Shipping containers can

have various door solutions. Open-top containers can even be used to create swimming

pools.

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Because of the simple steel structure of shipping containers, only welding is needed

to modify their structure. Because shipping containers are designed to carry heavy loads

only on their corner pillars, roofing needs to be done with special care. You can read

some tips about roofing for container shelters here.

The pictures shown in this represent some architectural solutions that enable the

maximum use of shipping container housing. They are all naturally illuminated and nat-

urally ventilated what brings the maintenance costs down to minimum. (More details

can be found through references.)They can also be implemented to be resistant of heat,

just like Seville shipping container cruise terminal that does not get hot even during hot

summers.

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Shipping container architecture is going mainstream as more people engage in build-

ing homes, hotels, offices, entertainment centers or even private summer residences out

of shipping containers.


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32. CONTAINER GARAGES – THE

NEW HOMES OF HARLEYS SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

For many companies, such as Apple, HP and Mattel, their first offices were garages.

Today the new low-cost solution for office facilities is using shipping containers. Actu-

ally shipping containers narrow the gap between offices and garages even closer

as people are really starting to use containers as garages.

Shipping container construction in general is a trend for sustainable and environmen-

tally friendly architecture. If you consider the many advantages that shipping containers

posses, it is not impossible to imagine why so many people wish to build

their homes, summer houses or swimming pools using shipping containers.

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Shipping containers are in many ways an ideal building material. They are designed

to resist harsh environments and therefore they can offer shelter even for natural disas-

ters. They are also designed to be modular what makes it easy to use additional con-

struction material to complete the buildings.

Shipping container construction is said to have lower labor costs compared to tradi-

tional construction. This can be explained by their simple steel structure that only re-

quires welding and cutting procedures to be modified. Building a garage for your Har-

ley-Davidson, BMW or Mercedes could not be more pleasant!

References: [29, 178 - 180]

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33. SÃO PAULO PRESENTS MAR-

VELLOUS CONTAINER ART SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The Brazilian city of São Paulo organized a design weekend during August 2014. Dur-

ing the weekend some fabulous pieces of design art were presented. One of the provid-

ers was a Brazilian design company Contain[it] that transforms pieces of shipping con-

tainers into beautifully designed furniture.

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Among the works on display were chairs, lamps, vases, modular shelving, and a table

that are made out of shipping container scraps. The scraps are collected from the com-

pany’s shipping container projects that turn discarded containers into new spaces.

Shipping containers are becoming a mainstream construction material for green and

environmentally friendly construction projects. In general, the world is suffering from

oversupply of shipping containers because they are seldom reused for shipping.

Shipping container architecture solves the problem of used shipping containers turn-

ing into waste, but only partially. Shipping container houses, villas, hotels etc. need to

be modified through welding which creates waste of container scraps.

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Contain[it] solves this problem by giving the container scraps a new life and there-

fore creating art with zero waste. The company’s mission is to create art that gives an

impact in an intelligent way. The company really gives a great contribution for the well-

being of nature.

Today sustainable architecture and shipping containers are becoming synonyms. No

other building material can be same time as durable and low-cost as shipping contain-

ers. Shipping container architecture enables designers to create environmentally friendly

construction that can easily be retrofitted to any natural environment.


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34. IN CONTAINER HOMES WINTER

IS ALWAYS OUTSIDE


Shipping containers are a superior building material and the mainstream for affordable

housing. As a form of prefabricated construction, shipping containers houses can to

huge extent be built elsewhere than in their final destination. In order for shipping con-

tainers to become livable homes, they need a makeover including a proper insulation.

Shipping containers are usually described as an optimum construction material for

areas with relatively high temperatures. The reason is that there are well know tech-

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niques on how make shipping container houses naturally ventilated. For instance

the shipping container cruise terminal in Seville is designed to resist high temperatures

during hot summers.

Shipping containers are also suitable for places where winters are long and cold, and

where it snows a lot. Originally shipping containers were designed to resist rough

weather in the seas during shipping and therefore shipping containers later became an

excellent building material. It seems that shipping container architecture was invented

like Coca-Cola – by accident.

There are examples of shipping container winter homes that are suitable for Northern

countries such as Northern USA, Canada, Finland and other Nordic countries. For in-

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stance an American real estate agent Jeffrey White is transforming shipping containers

into affordable and eco-friendly homes for low-income families in Salt Lake City. Each

home is made out of two shipping containers, and the whole projects costs 120,000 dol-

lars including the land they sit on.


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35. CONTAINER LIBRARIES – THE

LITTLE HELPERS OF INSPIRATION-

AL EDUCATION


A library made out of shipping containers in gaining popularity among the youth in the

Netherlands. An architectural innovation designed by Jord den Hollander is a library on

wheels that parks in schools to offer their students a new way of getting inspired to read

books.

Den Hollander came up with idea by realizing that the narrow Dutch streets need a

library that was also both narrow and could be able to have many books and a reading

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room. The BiebBus library is divided in to two sections, the lower section being the li-

brary and the upper section being the reading room. The library holds over 100 meters

of books that the students can read lying on their beanbags upstairs. The remarkable

interior design is emphasized by a transparent floor between sections.

Another container library is set in Indonesia, where a company named Dpavilion ar-

chitects has installed a container facility that operates as “the windows of the world”

offering education, inspiration and entertainment for people with small income. The

facility also has a container clinic that is to offer medical assistance for the locals.

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Shipping Containers are made of durable steel that gives protection even in rough

weather conditions. The simple steel structure and the standardized manufacturing pro-

cess make this superior construction material also really low-cost. Therefore the present

and the future trends of affordable housing and sustainable architecture will be among

shipping containers.


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36. AFGHANISTAN’S FUTURE IS

BUILT ON SKATEBOARDS AND

CONTAINERS SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

As we’ve already covered, shipping containers can be used to build high-end

homes, hotels, villas, restaurants you name it. Due to their low prices, shipping con-

tainers are especially good for low income areas. They have even built a shipping con-

tainer skate park in Afghanistan.

The mega shipping container skate park will be built by an international

NGO Skateistan that uses skateboarding as a tool for youth outreach in both Afghani-

stan and Cambodia. The most recent skate park in Mazar-e-Sharif is an educational safe

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haven for children. The 6000 square meter educational and sport complex was built out

of repurposed shipping containers and other locally sourced materials to host 1,000 lo-

cal children on a weekly basis.

Afghanistan’s skate park is not actually one of its kinds in developing container-based

education in developing countries. For example Apple‘s rival the Korean electronics

chaebol Samsung has also used shipping containers to build schools in South Africa. In

Indonesia they have even build shipping container libraries.

It is yet unfold whether the skate park grows the future’s Tony Hawks or even enhances

Afghanistan’s economy but for the well-being and sophistication of local children

the shipping container skate park is in a big role.

Shipping containers are a superior tool for businesses to actualize their corporate so-

cial responsibility programs as well as to spread culture and a high level of sophistica-

tion to developing countries. In general, we do not have many tools for helping the ones

in need but shipping containers are a practical solution.


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37. HOW TO CONQUER THE CHAL-

LENGES OF SHIPPING CONTAINER

ARCHITECTURE?

OCTOBER 8, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

In our previous articles about shipping containers and shipping container architecture,

we have highlighted the benefits of container constructions and explained why they are

a superior building material. Of course there are also disadvantages, but luckily, they

can be conquered easily.

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Shipping containers are a modular construction material that gives architects only a

limited number of restrictions. One of the questions many builders ask is “how to do

proper roofing on shipping container houses?” Shipping containers are designed to hold

heavy loads on their four pillars so the roof itself cannot hold much weight. Fortunately,

the modularity also implies that shipping containers can be combined other building

materials such as roofing sheets and metal tubes. Roofing is an easy task as described

in the article of container shelters.

Another thing people are worried is how shipping container houses can resist humidity.

Again, there are examples of shipping containers with great ventilation and insulation

systems. They even make saunas out of shipping containers! Shipping containers are

made of steel that absorbs heat. Still, for instance the shipping container cruise terminal

in Seville maintains cool temperatures even during extremely hot summers. The natural

ventilation system can be easily done by welding which is a relatively cheap procedure.

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Even insulation is not a problem. As mentioned in our article about container winter

housing, shipping containers do fit in cold areas as well. The insulation can be done

by glass wool or preferably by using insulating spray foam. Also the pillars in each cor-

ner allow builders to design a platform that prevents the building from touching the

ground.

Some people prefer using recycled shipping containers because they are lower priced

and have a higher supply compared to new ones. However, shipping containers might

take some damage and get some cargo spillages. Therefore each time the containers

should be checked and perhaps painted with nontoxic paint. Also their indoor hygiene

should be assured before implementing interior design.

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In some areas, getting building permits for shipping container houses might be trouble-

some. However, due to containers’ massive media exposure and their brand as an eco-

friendly solution for affordable housing, the municipalities and decision makers will

eventually be forced to accept the utilization of this superior construction material.


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38. SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND

OTHER AMAZING SWIMMING

POOLS OCTOBER 8, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Swimming pools seem to be a symbol of luxury that every high-end real estate must

have. A simple container of water that gives people a relaxing sensation can be designed

in many ways. The world has its crazy examples.

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The Cage of Death in Darwin Australia lets the swimmers swim in an underwater

glass cage that is surrounded by 18-foot alligators. The attraction in Crocosaurus

Cove operates 12 times a day, letting visitors take a 15 minute dive with the crocs.

The Infinity Pool in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel lets its guests swim on the

roof of the 150 meter tall 5-star hotel. The pool designed by Moshe Safdie is the world’s

largest at this height and offers the best city-skyline view of Singapore.

If you are visiting Dallas, getting a room in Joule Hotel would be a great option. The

special thing about the hotel is its rooftop swimming pool that goes beyond the edge of

the hotel’s wall. Guests will enjoy the spectacular view from the plexiglass window at

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the far end of the pool. The Pool is also heated to perfection and offers the ideal place

for perfect relaxation.

In case of building pop-up swimming pools, shipping containers are the right materi-

al. Shipping container pools have attracted crowd in many public events. For instance

the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger introduced a container swimming pool in Berlin’s

Bread and Butter fashion trade show in 2011. Also the city of New York has arranged

some container pool parties in Manhattan.

As mentioned in our previous articles, shipping containers are an instance of modest

luxury because they allow even lower and middle income households to build

a home or a summer house with a swimming pool. An experimental architect Stefan

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Beese set us an example when he used less than US$7,000 to build a fantastic swim-

ming pool in his New Orleans home.

Even though shipping containers are a really simple structured construction material,

their application is limited only by human imagination. The facilities that used to be

expensive are now getting cheaper thanks to shipping containers. Some people say that

heating the water in swimming pools is expensive. Could heat absorbing metal contain-

ers be the solution?

References: [196 -199]

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39. BILL GATES’S SHIPPING CON-

TAINERS TURN POOP INTO ENER-

GY! OCTOBER 9, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft literally threw millions of dollars into toilet as he

together with his wife invested $42 million in a competition of designing toilet systems

for developing countries. In the competition Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering pre-

sented a creative solution that uses shipping containers to sanitize human waste.

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The university was offered a $1.18 million grant of its idea of turning human waste

into energy. The sanitation solution that starts with the individual and the toilet includes

the storage, transportation and treatment of human waste, and ends, ideally, with safe,

usable by products such as fertilizer, fuel or clean water.

As the diagram above shows, human waste goes to an underground shipping contain-

er. This 20-foot shipping container uses enough heat and pressure to drive the internal

water into so called ‘supercritical phase‘. Supercritical water can oxidize the waste and

produce a sterile combination of water, carbon dioxide and salts. It also produces a lot

of heat that can be directed back to the system or, say, to a power generator.

The World Health Organization has stated that there 2.4 billion people that do not have

access to any type of improved sanitation facility. In addition, about two million people

die every year of diarrheal diseases; most of them being children under five years of

age. Just like container hospitals and Coca-Cola’s container kiosks, the new container

toilet system is a new example of how shipping containers can save lives!

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Shipping containers are an excellent tool for conducting CSR campaigns in developing

countries. As the examples of Coca-Cola, Samsung and now Bill Gates go to show,

shipping containers are worth more than their steel structure. It is the value that comes

from the creative minds utilizing containers that makes a difference.


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40. FLOATING CONTAINERS – AS-

SISTANTS FOR NAVY SEALS OCTOBER 9, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

As shipping containers are getting more and more applications from skate

parks to swimming pools, it is becoming very obvious that we haven’t seen everything

that these steel crates can do. Now they developing a different kind of shipping contain-

er system for military and maritime industry.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a solu-

tion that helps organizations providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief sup-

port over broad coastal areas. DARPA’s idea is to use standardized ISO shipping con-

tainers that form a platform for emergency helicopters to land. The floating shipping

container system also offers accommodation facilities for its crew.

The solution will be designed to offer assistance to navy forces by freeing military

ships to carry out other military missions. Tactically Expandable Maritime Plat-

form (TEMP) consists of core-support modules that offer all the life support needed by

the crew and delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles, Captive Air Amphibious

Transporters (CAAT), utilize air-filled pontoons that make the containers float. The

crew will receive its supplies via unmanned air-delivery system.

The system has been simulated at the GRASP Lab of the University of Pennsylvania

where scientists have demonstrated how the containers utilize GPS to easily assemble a

floating platform. It would be interesting to know if the system could be controlled by

artificial intelligence distributed with every container. Such system could be imple-

mented with flocking algorithms that makes the containers organize independently just

like a flock of birds. Bringing this technology into play could be the next innovational

step towards rescuing human lives.


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41. CONTAINER BATHHOUSES FOR

HEALTHY HEDONISTS OCTOBER 11, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Today, shipping containers are already a synonym for affordable housing and pop-up

business. Shipping containers can also be converted to hotels and sports centers.

Even saunas and swimming pools are possible. There is a company that is currently

developing container bathhouses.

A company named SOAK is collecting capital for eco-friendly bathhouse project.

This container complex will be able gain 100% of its power from solar energy. The

bathhouse also gets a substantial of its water from nature by harvesting and filtering

rainwater. They will also reuse the greywater by directing it to their patio’s garden

meadow.

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The company wanted to shipping containers because they are inexpensive to occupy,

easy to move and quick to retrofit. Shipping containers also offer a durable and good-

looking aesthetics that will support their vision. SOAK’s goal is to build a bathhouse

for “healthy hedonists” that want make an effort to be healthy but do not want to be

dogmatic or ideological about it. What’s more they want make their business sociable

and sustainable.

Shipping Containers are the best option for running sustainable pop-up businesses

that are low-cost and do not harm the Mother Nature.


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42. CONTAINER OBSERVATORY –

THE BEST PLACE FOR FIRST DATE! OCTOBER 11, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers can be converted into various kinds of buildings ranging

from homes to hotels. They can also be fit into their surrounding environment. A sunset

observatory in South Korea’s Incheon makes a good example.

A Korean company named AnL Studio, has created “Ocean Scope”, an observatory

for enjoying the sunset and admiring the horizon in a romantic setting. The structure is

built on five shipping containers that are placed on different heights. The containers are

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also placed on 10, 30, 50 degree angles offering visitors different points-of-view. The

containers are equipped with staircases.

In South Korea, many shipping containers are used as temporary shelters in rural ar-

eas. The containers do their purpose as shelters but still, they are not harmonized with

the surrounding nature. Ocean Scope is one of those examples that show how container

architecture can build a dialogue with nature

.

Fitting container buildings into their surroundings is a relatively easy task. Due to

their simple steel structure, container houses are mainly modified

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by cutting and welding that are not really labour-intensive operations. Incheon’s obser-

vatory’s stair design and the positioning of containers show what exactly can be done.

Shipping containers are designed to hold heavy weight only on their four corner pil-

lars so excess weight on them might be very damaging. Therefore, roofing is always a

challenge with container buildings. Our article on containers shelters describes one roof-

ing solution, but the observatory shows how it can be done more conveniently. The con-

tainers are put on different angles allowing rainwater and snow pour down from them.

How smart!


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43. PLEASANT WAITING IN CON-

TAINER TRAIN STATIONS OCTOBER 13, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

A Dutch architects company NL Architects has designed a new railway station that

makes passengers’ waiting experience more comfortable. They have built the station out

of shipping containers.

According to the company’s research, waiting times in railway stations is generally

experienced three times longer than they actually are. This creates a big challenge for

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small stations that are usually unmanned, desolate and create a sense of lack of safety.

The Dutch architect company found a way how solve this problem with minimum ef-

fort.

They wanted a cheap and light material that would be easy to put together and take

apart. Therefore they used shipping containers to build this structure that consists four

containers. Three of them work as a roof above glazed waiting room. One container is

an open-bottom container creating more space while two other horizontally installed

closed containers build storage. The fourth container has been flipped upwards to create

a clock tower. The tower has a bathroom with natural light coming from the glazed ceil-

ing window.

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The interior design is supposed to bring human presence for passengers. The 20

planned stations will include Wi-Fi, floor heating, railway TV and different kinds of

artworks. The stations will also be equipped with multi-functional shops that sell e.g.

flowers or coffee. Thereby the structure is said to have maximum output with minimum

effort.

Shipping containers can be modified easily with cutting or welding. Thereby they are

also easy to be retrofitted into their surroundings. Most of the containers are also

equipped with generators. These properties allow shipping containers to become beauti-

ful affordable homes, leisure houses, offices and many more facilities.


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44. MUSIC MADE PHYSICAL IN A

GIANT CONTAINER GUITAR! OCTOBER 13, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

As our former article about Brazilian shipping container art showed, shipping containers

can be utilized also in the art industry. Artists Marcelo Ertorteguy, Takahiro Fukuda,

and Sara Valente have taken the concept of container art to the next level by creating

the first playable shipping container guitar!

Like all of the guitars, this one also consists of metal strings, turning pegs, transduc-

ers and amplifiers. Eight strings are stretched eight meters across the container in a hy-

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perbolic paraboloid shape. What’s more the strings glow in dark giving the spectators a

unique visual experience of glowing strings dancing in the dark.

The artists wanted to create a space that allows people to feel how it feels to be inside

a guitar. The Cargo Guitar allows visitors to sense music’s kinetic vibrations and physi-

cal responses in the container space. This innovative work is said to be a spatial inter-

vention threshold between architecture, art and sound through a live interactive sound

structure. It also won an award in the Art in a Container International Competition and

will be on view at the Kobe Biennale in 2011.

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Shipping containers changed world in the 1950s by making international transportation

easier and more cost-effective. They allowed millions of people around the world enjoy

the imported goods they never had the chance to enjoy before. After that shipping con-

tainers became a mainstream in prefabricated architecture and affordable housing.

Moreover, they are now also an instrument of art.


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45. CONTAINER B&B COMPLETES

YOUR DREAM VACATION IN SPAIN! OCTOBER 14, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

If you’re planning a vacation in Majorca, this is the place where you want to lodge! Lo-

cated 10 minutes from the capital Palma, there is a luxurious bed and breakfast facility

that is made out of three shipping containers.

The “Fly House” B&B has basically everything that everybody wants from their hol-

iday accommodation. It has a modern open planned living area with full kitchen, living

room and a rooftop bedroom. The Fly House is also equipped with high-speed Internet

and cable TV.

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This holiday bungalow also has an outdoor deck with a swimming pool and a BBQ

dining area. The outdoor facility has also a private Japanese garden and a hammock for

relaxation.

Even though its space is very limited, the room feels really spacious.

Its spiral staircase saves a lot of space. Also its shelves and sofa can be closed and

opened with a push of a button for extra space.

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This container complex was prefabricated off-site and plunked with the least amount

of energy, waste and cost. Thanks to shipping containers, this facility can be easily ex-

panded and transferred to a different location. Its solar panels enable energy efficient

and low-cost electricity usage. Floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate the room with natu-

ral light. Rainwater is harvested by gutters and reused for outdoor plants.

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The Fly House designer company Espai Fly would like to see their container housing

business expanding from hotels to also cafes, retail outlets and even private homes.

Shipping containers seem to be the superior material for creating affordable real-

estate that is both luxurious and affordable. For instance this private bungalow costs

only about 110 US dollars a day.


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46. CONTAINER MICRO HOMES

WILL REVOLUTIONIZE AFFORDA-

BLE HOUSING OCTOBER 15, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping Container architecture is getting branded as the synonym of affordable hous-

ing and sustainable living. Containers are a really low-cost and durable material that has

caught the attention of designers and architects worldwide. Shipping containers can be

easily modified. They can be stacked, flipped or welded together in different angles.

Still, for creating a nice apartment, as these examples show, only one container is

enough.

For instance an Australian firm Nova Deko Modular has presented one of their styl-

ish designs in Milan. Their single-container prefabricated house is a compact and space

saving solution that optimizes all the space-use inside a 40 ft shipping container. The

interior design includes e.g. folding aluminum and glass doors that help to save space.

They sell the prefab house for about US$ 34,000 excluding the shipping costs.

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Atelier Workshop’s Port-a-Bach is a shipping container micro-home on wheels. The

house is designed to be easily moved to different locations and to accommodate two

adults and two children. This portable, secure and relatively inexpensive helps to save

costs also in the long run by utilization of solar power, wind turbines and by letting a lot

of natural light to get indoors.

Golany Architects‘ solution shows how a shipping container house can be

well integrated in a natural environment. The site where they wanted to install the house

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already had two pine trees. Instead of cutting the trees down, they used the trees as

shown in the picture above. The trees now support this rustic tree house by offering a

natural source of air conditioning and protection from excessive sun light.

Modular, affordable and space saving homes that can easily be integrated into their sur-

rounding environment. That’s what shipping container houses are!


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47. CONSTRUCTIONS THAT DEFY

THE LIMITS OF SHIPPING CON-

TAINER ARCHITECTURE OCTOBER 15, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The most shipping container structures consist of only one container. These kinds of

structures make good micro-homes, offices or pop-up stores. Still, it is more common to

build bigger container constructions. What might be the maximum amount of containers

one could use for a single building? These examples will lead to the answer.

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Detroit’s The Power of Green Housing Development will upcycle 93 shipping con-

tainers to build the multi-family home complex shown in the picture above. This four-

floor house of flats will have 20 residences of one to three bedroom solutions. The resi-

dents will also have their own protected parking garage. Its tankless water heating sys-

tem and ventilation will guarantee low energy costs.

This shipping container complex will have an area of 270,000 sq ft for shipping con-

tainers which refers to approximately 700 shipping containers. New York’s SuperPier is

US$200 million project that will include a restaurant and a retail com-

plex with bathhouses, sky parks, performance spaces, a rock climbing gym and a gar-

den. The complex will be built to upgrade the existing installation and will be opened

during summer 2015.

The complex that New York-based architecture firm LOT-EK is designing in Taiwan,

will consist of 1,620 shipping containers. Recycled containers will be the main material

for Taichung city’s Cultural Center that will hold art shows and screen films among

164

many other cultural activities. The complex will be built to be eco-friendly by integrat-

ing a rainwater reuse system and energy-efficient ventilation/insulation system.

So how large can shipping container complexes become? Well, containers are de-

signed to hold heavy loads of weight on their four corner pillars that allow the piling of

several containers. Building tall container towers is limited only by the properties

of forklifts and cranes. Because containers are made of a simple steel structure that al-

lows simple operations of cutting and welding, the width of complexes is also not lim-

ited.

Actually, some shipping container constructions are built to be expanded as neces-

sary. For instance a container bungalow in Spain shows this example. Therefore, at least

in theory, there seems to be no limits for the size of shipping container complexes.


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48. THE MANY ARCHITECTURAL

APPLICATIONS OF SHIPPING CON-

TAINERS VOL. 1 OCTOBER 16, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

There are many ways how to use shipping containers to create affordable and sufficient

real estate for housing or business use. In these series of blogs we will briefly discuss

some of them. The volume one takes you to container homes, hotels, and retail outlets.

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The benefits of container homes have been recognized worldwide. For instance, in

Finland, container housing is becoming a great solution for offering affordable student

homes

.

One of the benefits of shipping containers is their modularity. Containers are like

Lego blocks. You can pile them up and thereby even create a multiple floor or a multi-

ple wing mansion. Still, sometimes only one container is enough for building a home.

A container hotel system is a new trend to take the hotel business closer to a specific

clientele. Besides, the hotel solutions are made for luxury consumers offering them a

wonderful experience. For example an UK company Snoozebox offers portable hotel

services to any location or any events. The portable lodge has 40-400 rooms and each

room has a flat screen and a Wi-Fi.

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Conventional retailing includes setting up a store in a fixed location and paying the rent

for the use of the real estate. Modern retailing on the other hand, is mobile, meaning that

instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, you will be able to easily relocate

your business closer to your customers. This simple procedure is going mainstream and

it can only be done with shipping containers.

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If one already has an online retail business, it can be easily expanded offline with

shipping containers and create a combined retail infrastructure that has all

the advantages of both online and offline retailing.

References: [6-10, 22-30, 36-43]

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TAINERS VOL.2 OCTOBER 16, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

In volume one, we discussed homes, hotels, and retail outlets and their benefits. They

are only a fraction of what you can do with shipping containers. The volume two will be

about container facilities for relaxation and discuss swimming pools, saunas,

and bathhouses.







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A traditional swimming pool’s installation costs might be between US$6000 and

$50,000 not to mention excavation and decking costs. A shipping container, on the oth-

er hand, can be purchased with approximately $2000. The additional costs consists of

making the pool water proof by lining the interior with a water-proof lining or welding

and painting the interior. Also, regular pool filters, pumps and fixtures should be fitted

to the container as well.

Shipping container swimming pool is a nice DIY project. For example Stefan Beese,

an experimental architect used a 30 cubic cargo container to turn his New Orlean’s

backyard into a luxurious swimming zone. What’s more, he only needed about $5,000

to $7,000 to do that.

Shipping containers can be now used as saunas. A Canadian design studio Castor has

designed the first container sauna.

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The 8 ft container is a fully-operational sauna box that uses wood for heating and so-

lar energy for lighting. The mobile sauna also comes with an integrated iPod stereo and

an electric guitar hook-up. Also additional creature comforts such as a magnetic truck

light, castor stool, and bronze antlers are included.

A company named SOAK has an eco-friendly container bathhouse project. This con-

tainer complex will be able gain 100% of its power from solar energy. The bathhouse

also gets a substantial of its water from nature by harvesting and filtering rainwater.

They will also reuse the greywater by directing it to their patio’s garden meadow.

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The company wanted to shipping containers because they are inexpensive to occupy,

easy to move and quick to retrofit. Shipping containers also offer a durable and good-

looking aesthetics that will support their vision. SOAK’s goal is to build a bathhouse

for “healthy hedonists” that want make an effort to be healthy but do not want to be

dogmatic or ideological about it. What’s more they want make their business sociable

and sustainable.

Shipping containers combined supporting construction material is all one needs to

build their pools, saunas or even bathhouses.

References: [52 – 58, 210 -213]

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TAINERS VOL. 3 OCTOBER 17, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers are a convenient construction material for building affordable real

estate for personal housing, business facilities or leisure activities. They can also be

used in public transportation industry. At least by building ship terminals and train sta-

tions.







174

A Dutch architects company NL Architects has designed a new shipping container rail-

way station that makes passengers’ waiting experience more comfortable.

They wanted a cheap and light material that would be easy to put together and take

apart. Therefore they used shipping containers to build this structure that consists four

containers. Three of them work as a roof above glazed waiting room. One container is

an open-bottom container creating more space while two other horizontally installed

closed containers build storage. The fourth container has been flipped upwards to create

a clock tower. The tower has a bathroom with natural light coming from the glazed ceil-

ing window.

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Shipping containers can be modified easily with cutting or welding. Thereby they

are also easy to be retrofitted into their surroundings. Most of the containers are also

equipped with generators.

Another new application for shipping containers was invented by the design compa-

nies Hombre de Piedra and Buró4 who built a cruise terminal out of shipping containers

in the port of Seville in 2013.

They only needed 45 days in total to finish the project. Installing 23 shipping con-

tainers in a 500 square meter area took only two weeks. Therefore the installation costs

were not high just like the terminal’s energy production costs. The terminal is naturally

ventilated and it can be easily moved if necessary. The buildings’ bioclimatic solutions

also ensure that it does not get hot in the terminal during Seville’s hot summers.

References: [172 – 174, 216 - 217]

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The modularity of shipping containers enables creative architects to design beauti-

ful container homes and hotels. Open top containers can be turned into swimming

pools. Containers can even be turned to nice pop-up theaters and nightclubs.

In 2013 a local architecture studio O+A designed the architectural setting of the

20th Over het IJ Festival and transformed Amsterdam’s shipyard into a huge restaurant







177

area with theatrical stages. Building the “container city” took four days, and another two

days to take down, lasting only two weeks in between. Miami also had its container

theater in 2012 when the actors of Microteatro por Dinero started showing 15 minute

short dramas in containers.

Besides drama, shipping containers have also been used as movie theaters. Container

mini theaters showed short films in New York in 2011. The event was a part of USA

Network’s Character Project and it also was supported by the director of the Alien Sa-

ga, Ridley Scott. Audience was placed in 18-seat air conditioned screening pods to

watch the shorts. The tour also took place in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

178

A Singaporean company Venue VBox is using shipping containers to build mobile

discotheques. The company’s “Night Box” pop-up nightclub is a container system that

can hold 500 people. Such systems are applied also in other countries. For instance New

Orleans’ 2009 and 2010 Voodoo Music experience event has had VIP lounges made

of shipping containers. The price, mobility and overall attractiveness makes containers a

great solution for all of these applications.

References: [29, 67-68, 95 - 102]

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Our fifth chapter on shipping containers’ architectural applications will discuss exam-

ples of how and why they are an excellent choice for creating affordable and sustaina-

ble schools and student homes. It might be that even this generation of students will get

familiar at least one of them.







180

Using shipping containers as temporal school houses has at least two rationales. The

first reason is that especially old wooden school buildings are likely to have mold issues

that may cause severe health risks. For example an article of a Finnish science maga-

zine Tiede states that every second school in Finland has mold issues. Students are

therefore either forced to stay in their mold school or move to another school. Container

schools could be installed in relatively short time and with relatively low costs.

The second reason can be studied from Samsung. In 2012, the South Korean elec-

tronics chaebol established a shipping container school in the South African village of

Phomolong as a part of its corporate-social responsibility program. The school offers its

21 students premium education facilities with solar powered electricity system and

notebooks, an Internet connection and Samsung Galaxy tablets.

The lack of affordable student homes creates another application for shipping con-

tainers. For instance in Finland there is a high demand for student homes as the number

of available apartments in student villages is getting lower. Students are now forced to

pay a very high monthly rent. Some students have to pay even over 800 Euros of

monthly rent. According to a survey conducted by the Finnish periodical Iltalehti, 40

percent of the thousand respondents said that their funds are really low due to expensive

rents. They are now designing economical student homes, made of containers.

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Harri Nordling, a Finnish container home designer, has designed beautiful container

student homes. The container homes can also be expanded to multi-storied blocks of

flats. This sort of solution has already been applied in Sweden. Container homes are

easy to build. They are also low-cost and environmentally friendly.

References: [4 -5, 88 - 94]

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Before, garages were the only option for affordable business facilities. Now they can be

replaced with shipping containers. What’s interesting, shipping containers can also be

converted into garages.







183

Many companies including Apple, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Harley-Davidson,

Google, Amazon and Mattel started their businesses in garages. Today’s start-ups or,

the multinational corporation of tomorrow can start their businesses in low-cost con-

tainer facilities. Imagine what if Apple was started in a shipping container.

Shipping containers are a modular building material that is also durable and feasibly

priced. Because of their physical properties, start-up business managers are able to de-

sign customized offices.

Shipping containers are in many ways an ideal building material. They are designed

to resist harsh environments and therefore they can offer shelter even for natural disas-

184

ters. They are also designed to be modular what makes it easy to use additional con-

struction material to complete the buildings.

Shipping container construction is said to have lower labor costs compared to tradi-

tional construction. This can be explained by their simple steel structure that only re-

quires welding and cutting procedures to be modified. Building a garage for your Har-

ley-Davidson, BMW or Mercedes could not be more pleasant!

For start-ups, container offices are an excellent approach for creating expendable busi-

ness facilities in relatively little time. They take offices out of garages and create new

business opportunities. Shipping containers have another connection with garages. Con-

tainers can become them.

References: [29, 122 – 130, 178 - 180]

185




Shipping containers are a perfect solution for setting up a pop-up restaurant or

a mobile kiosk. As we already covered in our blog about container stores, they can be

installed almost everywhere and are very likely to gather a lot of crowd. Some very well

know companies have already set up a mobile restaurants and kiosks.

In 2010 Subway had a shipping container restaurant on top of the five sto-

ry Freedom Tower in New York. Subway established the restaurant for the construc-







186

tion workers who would otherwise have needed 45 minutes to get down from the con-

struction.

Shipping containers are also a form of sustainable building and offer an eco-friendly

and a low-cost solution for starting restaurants. One of the world’s best coffee

shops, Starbucks, has also used shipping containers and built such an eco-friendly

drive-thru cafe in Seattle.

As a new business idea, shipping container restaurants are an ideal low-cost choice.

During these hard times in the economy, people who have always wanted to start their

own restaurants but do not have enough capital, seem to have found a solution.

187

Setting a container kiosk is a smaller scale but still a considerable business. Contain-

er kiosks are also used to implement CSR in developed countries. For instance Coca-

Cola has taken this concept to Africa, Asia and Latin America by installing kiosks

called Ekocenters that offer locally tailored mix of products, services and resources that

also include sustainable energy, wireless communications, refrigerated vaccination stor-

age, health education, and other functionality to jump-start entrepreneurship opportuni-

ties and community development.

References: [103 – 108, 152 - 157]

188




An interesting phenomenon related to shipping container architecture is that it has also

pushed the development of other technology. One these technologies is water recycling

and power generation technologies that have already been applied in container green-

houses.







189

Companies such as Freight Farms and PodPonics have introduced a new business

model that converts second hand shipping containers into high-quality greenhouses that

can be relocated almost everywhere. The technology associated with the business en-

sures a safe plantation of fruits, herbs and vegetables.

Damien Chivialle‘s model of urban farm units (UFU) has a system that uses live

fishes and to fertilize and recycle the farms water. Every container has a fish tank whose

water flows in a closed circuit. The fish feces are broke into pieces that are utilized as

fertilizers. The system also produces some methane for the farms secondary energy

source.

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One major advantage of container farms is that now farms can be located closer to

the places where the food will be eaten. Thereby, say, restaurants can minimize their

shipping costs and still offer their customers fresh and high quality food. What’s more

the greens are produced without any chemicals cutting the amount of pesticides to zero.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft has also contributed to container related power

producing technology. His competition for designing toilets for developing countries

has produced many ideas including Duke University’s innovation. The creative solution

sanitizes human waste and creates electricity as a by-product.

References: [82 – 87, 200 - 203]

191




Today shipping container architecture is applied in housing, entertain-

ment, education and recreation to name but a few. They are also used to build sports

facilities. Here are some examples.

The Las Vegas design studio M-rad‘s design of the extreme sports park puts recycled

containers into reuse and takes a full advantage of them. The 42-acre container complex

built near the Las Vegas strip combines accommodation, commercialism and food pro-

duction.

The sports park has versatile options for recreation. The shallow lake in the middle of

the park and its beaches enable people to do surfing or engage in other physical activi-

ties. There are also motocross tracks and skate parks among many sports venues.







192

Visitors of the park can stay at luxurious container hotel towers that offer a 180 degree

view on the park site. The container construction site consists of three container towers

of which two belong to the hotel. The third one is a production facility for local organic

food. Harvesting is done with the help of wind and solar energy that along with natural

ventilation meet 80 percent of the parks energy production.

Another sports related instance of shipping container architecture is a container skate

park in Afghanistan. The mega shipping container skatepark will be built by an interna-

tional NGO Skateistan that uses skateboarding as a tool for youth outreach in both Af-

ghanistan and Cambodia. The most recent skate park in Mazar-e-Sharif is an education-

al safe haven for children. The 6000 square meter educational and sport complex was

built out of repurposed shipping containers and other locally sourced materials to host

1,000 local children on a weekly basis.

193

It is yet unfold whether the skate park grows the future’s Tony Hawks or even enhances

Afganistan’s economy but for the well-being and sophistication of local children

the shipping container skate park is in a big role.

Shipping containers are a sustainable and durable building material whose use is grow-

ing more and more mainstream. What’s more, due to their incredibly high availability,

they would otherwise become industrial waste. Therefore, in order to prevent environ-

mental disorder, the use of recycled shipping containers in building,

say, homes, hotels, offices, schools, hospitals or recreational facilities, are today’s eco-

friendly architectural solution.

References: [169 – 171, 192 - 193]

194




Building a summer or winter vacation house according to one’s own design sounds fan-

tastic, but you might be worried about the costs or confused about the choice of materi-

al. Luckily, there is a solution – shipping containers!

Besides shipping goods, shipping containers are also suitable for building beauti-

ful homes in low cost. Actually, the price of an individual 40 ft or 20ft shipping con-

tainer starts from US 2000.







195

Building out of recycled shipping containers is as good as using totally new ones,

and it is also cheaper. Besides low-cost, shipping containers are also durable and can be

considered as a form of sustainable building. Containers are so durable that they can

even be converted into shelters for natural disasters.

What’s more, shipping containers come with unlimited design opportunities. The

door solutions of shipping containers come in many forms and open-top containers can

be transformed into swimming pools. Containers can also be piled into complexes of

your desire. There are great examples of homes, hotels and stores that show container’s

great architectural design. The container city in Mexico is known also for its visual de-

sign.

196

Shipping containers are also suitable for places where winters are long and cold, and

where it snows a lot. There are examples of shipping container winter homes that are

suitable for Northern countries. For instance an American real estate agent Jeffrey

White is transforming shipping containers into affordable and eco-friendly homes for

low-income families in Salt Lake City. Each home is made out of two shipping contain-

ers, and the whole projects costs 120,000 dollars including the land they sit on.

References: [29, 166 – 168, 183 - 187]

197




Shipping containers are made to be durable. Because of their strength they are also an

ideal building material that can be used to build safe homes. Actually, the safety level of

shipping containers is so high that they can be used also to build prisons and shelters.

In Australia’s Victoria, the local government is establishing a prison system of 50

containers. Victoria is an area of overcrowded prisons, and therefore containers bring







198

an excellent solution for the problem. Australia is planning to apply the same solution in

other areas as well.

Victoria’s prisons are meant for medium-security prisoners. The next question could

be, taken the fact that shipping containers are as they are, how can one increase their

security level? Modifying the prisons environment would be the only option. Setting up

an Alcatraz style prison in the middle of an area of water area would work. That is ac-

tually something that can also be implemented with containers.

Shipping containers, with some modifications, can also become protective under-

ground shelters for natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The most important modifica-

tion is roofing.

Even though containers’ walls are designed to resist rough weather even in extreme

conditions, most people like to bury their container bases in order to make it invisible.

Still, one needs to take into consideration that the containers’ steel roofs are not made to

last heavy loads. Containers are designed to lie on their four strong corners. So there-

fore, after digging a hole for the container one should design a frame that supports add-

199

ing a gabion basket on the container. The gabion basket filled with rocks will protect the

container. See original articles for more details.

Where the containers’ exterior surrounding has some limitations, the interior design

is basically free for users’ own imagination. Today some containers come

with a generator and bathroom solutions making the containers livable apartments.

References: [59 – 66, 158 - 165]

200




Shipping Container architecture is getting branded as the synonym of affordable hous-

ing and sustainable living. Containers are a really low-cost and durable material that has

caught the attention of designers and architects worldwide. Shipping containers can also

be easily modified. They can be stacked, flipped or welded together in different angles.

This 12th chapter of container architecture will present the current extremes of container

buildings.

The simplest container houses can be built by using only one container. For instance an

Australian firm Nova Deko Modular has presented one of their stylish micro-homes in







201

Milan. Their single-container prefabricated house is a compact and space saving solu-

tion that optimizes all the space-use inside a 40 ft shipping container.

Atelier Workshop’s Port-a-Bach is a shipping container micro-home on wheels. The

house is designed to be easily moved to different locations and to accommodate two

adults and two children.

What might be the maximum amount of containers one could use for a single build-

ing? These examples will lead to the answer.

http://goo.gl/unc2NM

202

Detroit’s The Power of Green Housing Development will upcycle 93 shipping con-

tainers to build the multi-family home complex shown in the picture above. This four-

floor house of flats will have 20 residences of one to three bedroom solutions.

The complex that New York-based architecture firm LOT-EK is designing in Taiwan,

will consist of 1,620 shipping containers. Recycled containers will be the main material

for Taichung city’s Cultural Center that will hold art shows and screen films among

many other cultural activities.


203

60. THE ARTISTIC MASTERPIECES

OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS NOVEMBER 3, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers can be turned into almost any kind of facilities, one of them being

arts. In Japan there is actually a container art competition called Kobe Biennale that

motivates contestants to realize their wild ideas on how the interior space of shipping

containers can be used to express art.

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204

The biannually held competition has produced various creative pieces of art. In our

former article we already discussed how Japanese artist turned a recycled shipping con-

tainer into a playable guitar that lets visitors to know how it feels to be inside an instru-

ment. In 2013 the designers Masakazu Shirane and Saya Miyazaki introduced a new

container art concept.

Garden is a huge origami-inspired kaleidoscope built of 1,100 triangular mirrors that

are connected by zippers. It’s big enough to walk inside for an immersive experience

and small enough to fit in a shipping container.

205

Even though these container artworks’ interior is rather extraordinary, their outer ap-

pearance can be described as being usual. Still, because shipping containers are made of

corrugated steel walls, they can rather easily be modified by cutting and welding. Our

article on South Korea’s container sunset observatory shows an example on

how containers can be welded together in different angles. They can also be flipped

upwards like the container train station in the Netherlands. They can also be turned into

Japanese origami shaped structures like this instance in Rotterdam

References: [218, 233 - 235]

206

61. CONTAINER ISLAND RESORTS –

AMERICA’S NEW DUBAI NOVEMBER 3, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Did you know that there are over 4000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico that will be de-

commissioned within the next century? These oil rigs occupy approximately 80 million

square feet of area in the ocean. Basically the only way to remove them is to blow them

into oblivion which would cost millions of dollars and destroy a major part of the Gulf’s

aquatic life. What if these oil rigs could be used in another way?

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207

The idea of turning the oil rigs into luxurious hotel resorts was already presented in

2009 by Morris Architects who also won the top prize in a hospitality design contest

with this concept. This idea also introduces an application for shipping containers.

The idea is to prefabricate hotel pods off-site out of shipping containers and transport

them into the oil rigs with cargo ships. These new island resorts are also been referred

as America’s Dubai. The BLDGBLOG site has put it also to a poetic perspective by

comparing the resorts as the Kalevala of Abandoned Oil Rigs.

208

Prefabricating and transporting the hotels onto the rigs a relatively simple procedure.

The challenges are more related to maintenance and business side. How to ensure secu-

rity on the resort, how to handle stormy weather conditions, how to price them and how

to maintain a steady flow of customers?


209

62. CONTAINER HOMES – ONLY THE

QUESTION OF MAKE OR BUY NOVEMBER 4, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Shipping containers are a modular construction material that can be used to build af-

fordable houses with aesthetic design. One of the major advantages of container houses

is their durability; you basically need a light torch and dynamite to break in. Getting a

safe home like this raises the question “to make or buy?” Here we will analyze both of

those options.

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210

Buying a prefabricated container house will save you a lot of time and physical work.

You need to consult a container house provider and offer them your sketches. You need

to give them precise information about your living conditions in order for them to im-

plement proper insulation, floor and roofing. You should also ask for computer rendered

image of their work. There are many companies that provide prefabricated container

houses and ship them worldwide.

Many people want to have a perfect control over the whole process which is why

they choose to build them themselves. If you want to build a container house yourself,

you should pay attention to some things. The first thing is the choice of containers.

Countries that import a lot of goods but do not do much exporting have hundreds of

thousands of used shipping containers in their ports. When you’re in a port you should

select the one on the top of the pile because using a crane to get the lower ones is a time

consuming and a rather expensive task.

211

The other thing is that you never know what has been shipped inside the container.

Therefore you should hire a professional to check if there are any traces of toxic spillag-

es or radioactive materials.

In terms of construction you need to pay close attention painting and insulation. If

done improperly the house will start to collect rust and turn into a freezer or an oven

depending on the outside temperature. The insulation is usually done with insulating

foam. When adding windows you need to be careful not to break the whole structure.

You also need to use some steel reinforcements.

Some people want to build container houses themselves in order to save construction

costs. But after considering the above mentioned aspects you’ll see that making it your-

self might not be the cheapest option. Also if you add the fact that getting a professional

to put in drywall, heating and plumbing may cost over $200 per square meter, you

might want to take time and discuss more with a customized house provider. If you like

building things yourself, you might want to start with smaller projects, say, a summer

house, swimming pool or a sauna.

References [245 - 248]

212

63. ILLUMINATING A CONTAINER

CAVE WITH IMPROVISED NARRA-

TIVE NOVEMBER 4, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Holdup Architecture‘s artwork for 2011 Kobe Biennale competition is one of those ex-

amples that show how creativity and shipping containers are a match. We previously

discussed the competition’s container guitar and container kaleidoscope, but this is

something far beyond!

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213

When a user enters the chalkboard-like container cave, there is nothing but darkness.

It’s only when she approaches the center of the room, when the container’s UV start

activating making one’s clothes glow in the darkness. The glow grows stronger as the

user approaches a drawing board. The light become the brightest when the user draws

patterns.

This work called “Off To On” that cost the artists $6000 was awarded with honors.

The interior part was equipped with steel gratings, mesh sheets, rubber rolls and other

below shown materials that enabled this self-made exhibition. They also utilized a spe-

cial software for this purpose.

214

The users are controlled only to the drawing interface. What the users draw is not

controlled except by the surrounding intense darkness. What kind of story the visitor

tells through her drawings tells a lot about the visitor herself. It is the surrounding that

reveals her inner thoughts.

The company has described the Off to On as a setting where the visitor is assimilated

to a speleologist discovering a primitive cave with prehistoric drawings painted on the

rock, except that drawings are not relics from past ages. Basically, the whole space is

dark until he draws on the table. Drawing is the only way to be involved and visualize

the «self-made exhibition».


215

64. SHIPPING CONTAINER BEER

GARDEN – SACRAMENTO’S LITTLE

GERMANY NOVEMBER 5, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Thanks to the trade deficit with China, the ports of the USA are filled used shipping

containers that are rarely sent back to their original destinations. Luckily people have

found a way to use them in, say, housing, retailing and restaurant business. One instance

is a container beer garden in Sacramento.

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216

The German style Biergarten is built out of two shipping containers that are welded

together. A 40 ft container operates as a kitchen, bar, storage and an ordering station.

Another 20 ft container is attached to operate as a restroom.

The construction needed also some reinforcement materials. Paneling was done

with stainless steel and diamond plate aluminum was used in flooring. They used 6-inch

tiles to cover the space between the walls and the floor.

The Biergarten sells 32 different draft beers and traditional German food including

German sausage that in procured from Sacramento’s German butcher. This open-air

beer garden closes at 9 pm from Sundays to Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays they

close an hour later. They are closed on rainy days.


217

65. CONTAINER TOWERS OF DEEP

DIVES AND HIGH FLIES NOVEMBER 5, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

A Polish design studio MOKO Architects an extreme sports venue that will be built on

two abandoned concrete silos and a series of shipping containers. A 25 meter twin tower

in 12 km from Warsaw’s nucleus will be built during 2015.

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218

One the 25 meter towers will be completely filled with water. On the top people can

dress their scuba wear and dive into the depths. In the bottom there is a cave that takes

to the other tower. The rest of the other tower will be built for exercising skydiving.

Shipping containers will be used to build additional facilities to support the visiting

extreme sportsmen. The containers will be turned into offices, kitchens, hostels, chang-

ing rooms, reading rooms, exhibition centers and cafeterias.

219

This is a great example on how environmental conditions can be enhanced by putting

used material into reuse. It also shows how already existing structures, in this case silos

and shipping containers, can have new applications that many people have never

thought before.


220

66. THE CONTAINER SHOPS OF AL-

LURING ASIAN BEAUTIES NOVEMBER 6, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

In our previous articles, we have discussed how shipping containers can be turned into

convenient mobile pop-up stores. Container shops have already been applied all over

the world. At least, this peculiar example from Taiwan gives some evidence to that the-

ory.

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221

In Taiwan there is a unique business concept of selling paans. They are betel nuts

wrapped in a betel leaf that together make a powerful drug that gives energy boosts like

caffeine. It is also a very dangerous drug that causes oral cancer. It is mostly used by

truck drivers to stay awake during night shifts. Selling betel nuts is only allowed outside

the capital Taipei.

The vendors of betel nuts are young local girls that sell them from small glazed ki-

osks. In order to attract drivers along the road, the girls wear revealing clothes. The

transactions take place outside the kiosk letting the drivers stay in their cars.

222

A Polish architectural photographer Magda Biernat discovered a set of scattered

shipping container betel nut stores when she visited Taiwan with his husband. During

her journey she compiled a set of images that were displayed in her exhibition, “The

Betel Nut Beauties”.

Even though we might have negative opinions about the ethics of this business, it won’t

deny the fact how shipping containers success in constantly defining new business con-

cepts. This story also shows how fully operational real estate can be built in an envi-

ronmentally friendly way by using abandoned materials.


223

67. HOW ACADEMIA CHANGES

WHAT WE THINK ABOUT SHIPPING

CONTAINERS NOVEMBER 11, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The new application possibilities of shipping containers have already managed to attract

the attention of various communities including artists, designers and architects. Univer-

sities are also applying shipping containers in their research on engineering, arts and

human sciences. Here we will present some examples.

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224

Shanghai’s Tongji University’s students came up with an idea of a light-

weight, solar-powered and self-sufficient house that could be built out of shipping con-

tainers. Their work, the Y container, is a structure that uses photovoltaic panels for heat-

ing floor and water. The six containers form wings that direct wind for natural ventila-

tion. The Y container was built for a Chinese couple that could not afford independent

housing.

The students of Geneva University of Art and Design together with Bureau A built a

container housing complex that helps to observe people’s living habits. The eight inhab-

itable shipping container pods all have different functions. For example one container is

meant to study people’s engagement in communal decision making.

225

As we can see through these examples, the academic communities worldwide con-

tribute to finding new applications for shipping containers. New applications attract new

stakeholders and create more demand.

The catch of this story is that no matter how many applications they come up with,

the standardized shipping containers themselves will stay the same. They will also be

provided by Shanghai Metal Corporation.


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68. ROCK CLIMBING ON THE CON-

TAINERS OF BANGALORE NOVEMBER 12, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

After reading the many articles of applications of shipping containers, even I still get

amazed on how many there already are and how many there are still to come. It seems

that whenever they discover a new way to modify containers’ structure the number of

new applications starts to grow rapidly.

For instance, what if you flipped a 20 ft container on its head, what kind of structure

would that be? Perhaps a clock tower like this?

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/rock-climbing-on-containers-of-bangalore/


http://wp.me/p4BG4t-1n2

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Well, an Indian company Mars Adventures has used this simple approach to build a

rock climbing facility in Bangalore.

At Mars Climbing Gym at Play Park Bangalore there are three different climbing facili-

ties including 50 ft high climbing zone, 60 ft wide bouldering arena and a 20 ft high

roof climbing setup.

The 50 ft container climbing wall lets three people climb at the same time under pro-

fessional surveillance. The roof climbing setup is a facility where people can climb in-

side a 20 ft tall shipping container. They open this facility only for professional climb-

ers.

References: [262]

228

69. CONTAINER HOUSES – AFFORD-

ABLE HOMES AND A LOT MORE NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

As we all know, building a home out of shipping containers is cheaper and faster than

conventionally built homes with same dimensions. Buying a prefabricated container

home makes it even easier for average consumer since the majority of the construction

is made off-site. Container homes are definitely becoming the mainstream of affordable

housing, but since almost anything can be built out of these steel Lego blocks, why

should one settle only for getting a living space?

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/container-houses-affordable-homes-and-a-lot-more/





229

The simplest container living space can of course be done by using a one single con-

tainer. There are numerous examples of these container micro homes that are also pre-

sented in our articles. People wanting to build larger homes use to spend more money

by hiring an architect agency to make them do the drawings for a container house manu-

facturer. Today thanks to Google, we can avoid those service costs by using Google’s

Sketch Up program to make them ourselves. That money can be spent perhaps for a

container garage, sauna or even a swimming pool.

Container swimming pool could be a nice DIY project. Stefan Beese, An experimental

architect set us an example by turning his New Orlean’s backyard into a luxurious

swimming zone. He used a 30 cubic shipping container, added some pumps, filters, lin-

ings and did all the necessary operations. He only used about $5,000 to $7,000 to do

that.

230

Saunas are necessities in some countries. For example in Nordic countries a saunaless

house will most likely not get sold. For now the container sauna market is not that large

and there are only a few suppliers of prefabricated container sauna manufacturers. One

of them is Canadian Castor whose 8 ft sauna containers have a really high-end price tag

of $ 41,000.

Luckily shipping container houses are modular and flexible in every way. They can be

shipped and built in relatively short time frames. They can also be easily adjoined to

existing buildings. Therefore for consumers it could be a reasonable option to buy a

custom manufactured container house and save pools, saunas etc. later as DIY projects.

References: [52 – 53, 263 - 265]

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70. CONTAINER HOUSES – HOBBITS

IN THE MORDOR OF ARCHITEC-

TURE NOVEMBER 18, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Why do people want to build their homes out of shipping containers? Because of the

benefits one can gain from containers and the promises related to successful shipping

container architecture. Container houses indeed have many benefits that are superior

compared to more conventional construction material. Still, there are numerous exam-

ples of how container house projects fail. Failure and challenges make some people

question containers’ position as a reliable building material. Here we want to discuss

some of that criticism.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/container-houses-hobbits-in-the-mordor-of-architecture/


http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/container-houses-hobbits-in-the-mordor-of-architecture/

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/8fca096cf8f0add67238504bec24644c.jpg

232

Modularity, eco-friendliness and excellent availability are indeed some of the many

benefits of shipping containers. The ports of many import driven countries including the

US have hundreds of thousands of containers that are never shipped back to their origi-

nal destination. Therefore it is logical and environmentally friendly to find ways to re-

use these building blocks. However like any building material, containers also need to

be processed.

Shipping containers should not be used in the condition that they are when first

found in the docks. They have taken hits and transported goods with unknown origin.

They might have shipped contaminants and they floors might be in bad condition. Re-

furbishing the containers thoroughly is as important as with any construction material.

Because of the numerous operations including flooring, plumbing, drywall etc., con-

tainer house projects might become as expensive as ordinary building projects. Thereby

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/f2283225e3c34f4f14ded448d887bdc9.jpg

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/3fe408b32b4f75a08632d31e23fd6cd8.jpg

233

it is a recommended option to buy prefabricated container homes from a reliable pro-

vider. For instance Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures and ships numer-

ous prefabricated homes each year to many countries.

Sometimes container homes get excessive critics. Some people say container homes are

not suitable for areas that are either really cold or really hot. This is not true. There is

even a huge inhabitable container house complex in Antarctica! In hot conditions the

container houses can be built to direct the flow of air inside creating natural ventilation

and thus saving costs. Such examples include the container ship terminal in Se-

ville and this container house created by Chinese university students.

Some people say container houses are not bullet proof. It’s true that the light steel walls

won’t stop a .38 Magnum but it will stop dynamite. That’s something, say, a wood

house can’t do. Moreover container houses are hurricane and earthquake resistant. Isn’t

that more important?

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/63e3b8cc9ad740b48d0b49eaea487214.jpg

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/96b26005ced412e29e044a1da65b4621.jpg

234

The thing is that the shipping container architecture industry is really young and un-

der development. In his book, “Why A Students Work for C Students And Why B Stu-

dents Work for the Government”, a successful entrepreneur and author Robert Kiyosa-

ki mentions that the construction industry is the slowest industry in adapting new con-

cepts. He says that the time gap between when a new idea is proposed and its adoption

is 60 years in the construction industry.

People have built wood houses for ages, and learned from their mistakes. That’s why

wood houses don’t have that much criticism anymore. The container house patent was

filed in 1987. Therefore the expected time for flawless container architecture should be

around the year 2047. Container housing needs just more time to develop – from hob-

bits to heroes. Luckily, the signs refer to faster development than 60 years.

References: [29, 248, 266 -272]

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/be9e480f19a1af8fb495059d18c18891.jpg

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/ba206c0c8430fdb05005836c7f35f643.jpeg

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71. GOOGLE – THE NEW CREATOR

OF CONTAINER ARCHITECTS NOVEMBER 19, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

Building a container residence can be nice DIY project, especially for those who take

building as a hobby or a way to relax. Still, one needs to keep in mind that build-

ing container houses is a long procedure and requires extremely professional attitude.

Due to many challenges, container house projects might escalate into failures. Thereby

it is a worthy option to get a professional manufacturer to build it for you. There used to

be a huge challenge in that option as well.

In order to manufacture container houses, the provider need the houses’ drawings.

Building a house without blueprints is impossible. The manufacturers are also unable to

determine the price without really specific details about one’s dream house. Most of us

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/google-the-new-creator-of-container-architects/


236

lack the architectural skills for that. Luckily, today all you need is a sketch made

with Google Sketchup software.

Try googling container houses designed with Google Sketchup and you’ll find many

results. By sending your sketch to a provider, you’ll save a lot of time in negotiating and

explaining your vision. Sketchup is a tool for you to translate the idea of your dream

house to an architectural language that the manufacturers understand.

The prices of container houses can vary a lot. The prices are dependent of the number of

floors, the amount of plumbing and electricity installations to name but a few. Use your

sketches to inquire the prices. That’s how manufacturers can help you.


237

72. CONTAINER HOMES – THE IL-

LEGAL SAVIORS OF ECONOMIES

AND THE ENVIRONMENT NOVEMBER 20, 2014 SHANGHAI METAL CORPORATION

The ports of many import-driven countries including the USA are filled with

used shipping containers that are never shipped back to their original

tions. Therefore considering the well-being of the environment, getting new ways of

use for them is crucial. Building affordable homes for many families is the best option,

but how to influence the local decision makers to offer building permits.

http://shanghaimetalcorporation.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/container-homes-the-illegal-saviors-of-economies-and-the-environment/


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238

The valuable resources of used shipping containers will remain as an unused asset if

the decision makers do not allow the installation of shipping container houses. The roots

of the problem are not on the operational level, in other words, in the daily application

and inspection processes. In many countries there are protocols on how large, what col-

or or which material the houses in a specific suburb should be made of. The problem is

that the standards do not say much about special building materials, let alone shipping

containers.

The inspectors can only follow the protocol, that’s a fact. Therefore people should

work on influencing the upper level authorities, unions and city councils.

Social media offers great tools for that. It is important that people keep on writing

blogs about the benefits of shipping container architecture. It is also equally important

to share other people’s work on social media. The optimum use of Facebook, Twitter,

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/8b192a6f66dcbeaf7276483f1bf8cacf.jpg

https://shanghaimetalcorporation.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/2e01d7f631c545240dc89328518061b8.jpg

239

Google Plus, WordPress etc. enables the maximum reach of one’s work. Maximum

reach implies that the content will eventually reach the decision makers or the people

who influence them. Moreover, as we already analyzed in our former article, this indus-

try develops really slowly, so all the counter measures should be designed for a long

run.

Besides quality, quantity also counts. The decision makers also suffer from bounded

rationality. Instead of only few experts, by social media they can be influences of thou-

sands of experts, those who want to build affordable homes and to help to save the envi-

ronment and the economy. Even though it sounds like a long shot but it’s still an im-

plementable way.

References: [29, 272, 279 - 280]

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240

PROLOGUE

The 72 blogs that I wrote about shipping containers cover almost every application that

there exist today. In the future there will be more, I’m sure of that. When I searched for

content for my blogs I was also really surprised about how peculiar applications there

actually are. I believe one of the interesting instances was the container system that gen-

erates power out of human waste. This goes to show that shipping containers can be

used in almost everything. The time will show what new applications there will be.

Now it seems clear that in order to get more affordable houses, more container houses

should be built. People sometimes ask me if I’ll be living in a container house in the

future. I honestly don’t know it yet. I’m not saying I won’t do it. This is a young indus-

try that needs more experience, more example and more information to be provided for

the publics. I tried to give my contribution and I hope somebody else will continue from

where I finished.

As I already mentioned in the epilogue of this book, good blogs are interesting, in-

formative and entertaining. They trigger people’s interests, offer information that is

based on facts, and does all of this in an entertaining way. In most cases you know if a

blog reaches these goals only after reading them. Therefore I wanted to name the titles

in my own peculiar way.

Nobody wants to read how containers generate power out of human waste but they

surely want to know how on Earth, does Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, use ship-

ping containers to create power from poop. I spent a lot of time on selecting good fea-

tured images and thinking about key words to use in my title. Try now googling “Bill

Gates” and see, when does the article of him pop out. The article enhanced SMC’s SEO

and connected the founder of Microsoft with it. What’s more Bill Gates also started

following me on my personal Twitter!

Naming the titles is really important in getting views. In figuring out the names I

wanted to create reactions like “What is this?” or “What is this about?”. I also wrote

about other products, not only about shipping containers. I once wrote an article of us-

ing galvanized steel coil in game machines. I tried to write the article from a game man-

ufacturers’ point-of-view. Even though I’m not really familiar of that industry I believe

that people that start game machine businesses, like all the other successful businesses,

want to solve a problem. Based on my educated deduction I decided that maybe it could

be to offer gaming available to masses and make people play games. Therefore I also

decided to write the article from a gamers’ perspective. The day I published the article

“Have You Played These Cool Games”, I became strongly criticized by three of other

interns.

241

The article introduced three games and their arcade machines. In the article I also en-

couraged people to turn to Shanghai Metal Corporation when searching for material for

game machines. The critique was based on their assumptions that the article did not

discuss the company’s actual product and wasn’t addressed for its customers. Still to-

day, I don’t regret the path I took. Even though it’s a long shot to reach game machine

manufacturers with an article, I saw this approach being the best way. What’s more we

never read other interns’ articles. This was the first time people asked somebody in the

office “What I this?”. They asked themselves the question, and viewed my article. That

was exactly the impact I wanted to create. By viewing the article they also increased my

number of views. They fell into my trap along with many people who later on viewed

my article. The article was definitely interesting, entertaining or informative enough for

people to click and check it out. It was published the same day with “Liquid Packaging

Made Famous by a Watch Company”. I also received critique because of that article.

Today it has been viewed almost a thousand times. Despite of all the feel of being at-

tacked at the office, because of the impact I managed to create, it was still one of my

best days.

I don’t know what kind of image I created about myself through my blogs. Originally

they wanted us make blogs just for making blogs and create impressions. The main fo-

cus was on the quantity. They wanted us to make two articles a day. I always believed

that making value-added articles should have more emphasis on quality. What’s more,

social media is all about sharing and helping others. Creating high-quality content that

encourages engagement is only one part of the equation. You also need to share content

written by others. This is how you create goodwill and contribute in helping your target

group to find relevant content for your needs. You can always add your signature in

sharing the content. It should be a link to your company’s web page. That’s how social

media works. You need give a lot more than take. You need to help others in order to be

helped by others. During my time as the manager of social media and content market-

ing, I wanted to see blogging as only a part of the big picture. The platform-wise social

media I created has already increased engagement and impressions in social media

channels, the number of views and visitors of our blogs and traffic to company webpag-

es by hundreds of percents.

I hope that the style of my blogs can offer insights for people engaged in the field of

content marketing. As a minimum expectation I wish I have managed to create discus-

sion either on shipping containers or content creation and social media marketing. As

my final words I want to say that do not only try to learn from. Get inspired by others

and use that inspiration even though it wasn’t directly related to what you do. Remem-

ber what Steve Jobs said about creativity. Learn to connect the dots. Learn also to find

the dots. The most creative people and businesses in the world are experts in finding the

dots. They will reshape the world and make it a more colorful place. When you’re in

242

stage of writing books like these and teaching people, remember to inspire. Share your

intellectual capital with others. Let the community around you grow bigger and wiser.

Be a part of something bigger. Most off all, do not hesitate to push enter and publish

your blogs. They are not meant to offer exact truths. They are meant to create discus-

sion. Don’t be afraid of being wrong. Be a part of something bigger.

Tuomas Poukkula \\ SMC Editor

243

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