10 Cool Shipping Container Homes

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Shipping container-based construction saves time, money, and materials—and it benefits the environment. While container homes may no longer be a novelty, this collection proves the trend is here to stay.

Its location in the Hamptons may be flattering, but Andrew Anderson's Beach Box would look great just about anywhere. Although the exterior doesn’t overtly suggest the bones underneath, select areas of the interior reveal the corrugated steel of shipping containers, as the four-bedroom house leverages the material's immunity to salt and sea.

Container-made and solar-powered, this Colorado retreat gives new life to two shipping containers. Studio H:T cut out segments of the steel exteriors to serve as sliding doors between the bedrooms and the central common area, while concrete used throughout complements the containers’ industrial vibe.

The Spacebox at Utrecht University maximizes the benefits of container living. Because these structures are inexpensive and quick to build, the university can easily accommodate a growing student body. Although dorms often have an institutional look, the Spacebox’s colorful façade makes for campus housing any student would be lucky to call home!

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Adam Kalkin created a massive abode that features a dozen shipping containers housed within a large warehouse-like structure. Two groups of containers, stacked in pairs, flank an open, glass-walled central area. Each "wing" offers support and space for the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and reading area.

It would be hard not to include more than one house from Kalkin. The so-called "Old Lady House" incorporates a bevy of shipping containers, but this time around Kalkin used drywall on the interiors to create a more traditional feeling. Bridged by a courtyard and outdoor terrace, the two-story dwelling is spacious and airy.

Architects James & Mau designed this Chilean home for eco-friendly construction company Infiniski. Hidden behind an envelope of wooden pallets, the containers' unusual arrangement gives the structure its unique form. The pallets serve double duty, providing both shade and cross-ventilation of fresh air.

The recycling of three containers in the WFH House is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its eco-pedigree. A sustainably sourced bamboo façade, rainwater-collection system, solar cells, green roof and permeable paving all contribute to the structure’s carbon-neutral status. And it isn’t hard on the eyes either!

The Seatrain Residence, by the Office of Mobile Design, employed shipping containers and reclaimed steel to yield a sum vastly greater than its parts. Masking the structure's modest means of construction, the firm created a picturesque and cost-effective 3,000-square-foot home in the Brewery District of Los Angeles.

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