viernes, 28 de febrero de 2014

Sale a flote el secreto de la extraña barcaza de Google.

Google ha resuelto a través de un comunicado el misterio que rodeaba a su extraña barcaza, una estructura de cuatro pisos hecha de contenedores y que desde hace meses flota en aguas de la bahía de San Francisco, en California (EE.UU.).

"La barcaza de Google... ¿Un centro de datos flotante? ¿Un barco para fiestas locas? ¿Una barcaza que alberga el último dinosaurio vivo? Lamentablemente, no es nada de esto", reza el comunicado.

Según un portavoz del gigante informático, "a pesar de que [el proyecto] se encuentra en sus inicios y las cosas pueden cambiar, estamos explorando el uso de la barcaza como un espacio interactivo donde la gente pueda aprender sobre las nuevas tecnologías".

Los expertos opinan que esta explicación refuerza la teoría según la cual la embarcación va a ser utlizada para promocionar las Google Glass, las gafas inteligentes que Google sacará al mercado en los próximos meses.

Pese a que Google reveló el misterio de la embarcación de San Francisco, ésta no es la única estructura en la que está trabajando Google, ya que hay también otra plataforma flotante amarrada en el puerto de Portland, en Maine, con una estructura similar.
 
Via RT
Fuente Original 
http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/110598-google-revelar-misterio-barcazas
 
 
No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
Google ha resuelto a través de un comunicado el misterio que rodeaba a su extraña barcaza, una estructura de cuatro pisos hecha de contenedores y que desde hace meses flota en aguas de la bahía de San Francisco, en California (EE.UU.).

Texto completo en: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/110598-google-revelar-misterio-barcazas
Google ha resuelto a través de un comunicado el misterio que rodeaba a su extraña barcaza, una estructura de cuatro pisos hecha de contenedores y que desde hace meses flota en aguas de la bahía de San Francisco, en California (EE.UU.).

Texto completo en: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/110598-google-revelar-misterio-barcazas
Google ha resuelto a través de un comunicado el misterio que rodeaba a su extraña barcaza, una estructura de cuatro pisos hecha de contenedores y que desde hace meses flota en aguas de la bahía de San Francisco, en California (EE.UU.).
"La barcaza de Google... ¿Un centro de datos flotante? ¿Un barco para fiestas locas? ¿Una barcaza que alberga el último dinosaurio vivo? Lamentablemente, no es nada de esto", reza el comunicado.

Según un portavoz del gigante informático, "a pesar de que [el proyecto] se encuentra en sus inicios y las cosas pueden cambiar, estamos explorando el uso de la barcaza como un espacio interactivo donde la gente pueda aprender sobre las nuevas tecnologías".

Los expertos opinan que esta explicación refuerza la teoría según la cual la embarcación va a ser utlizada para promocionar las Google Glass, las gafas inteligentes que Google sacará al mercado en los próximos meses.

Pese a que Google reveló el misterio de la embarcación de San Francisco, ésta no es la única estructura en la que está trabajando Google, ya que hay también otra plataforma flotante amarrada en el puerto de Portland, en Maine, con una estructura similar.


Texto completo en: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/110598-google-revelar-misterio-barcazas
Google ha resuelto a través de un comunicado el misterio que rodeaba a su extraña barcaza, una estructura de cuatro pisos hecha de contenedores y que desde hace meses flota en aguas de la bahía de San Francisco, en California (EE.UU.).
"La barcaza de Google... ¿Un centro de datos flotante? ¿Un barco para fiestas locas? ¿Una barcaza que alberga el último dinosaurio vivo? Lamentablemente, no es nada de esto", reza el comunicado.

Según un portavoz del gigante informático, "a pesar de que [el proyecto] se encuentra en sus inicios y las cosas pueden cambiar, estamos explorando el uso de la barcaza como un espacio interactivo donde la gente pueda aprender sobre las nuevas tecnologías".

Los expertos opinan que esta explicación refuerza la teoría según la cual la embarcación va a ser utlizada para promocionar las Google Glass, las gafas inteligentes que Google sacará al mercado en los próximos meses.

Pese a que Google reveló el misterio de la embarcación de San Francisco, ésta no es la única estructura en la que está trabajando Google, ya que hay también otra plataforma flotante amarrada en el puerto de Portland, en Maine, con una estructura similar.


Texto completo en: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/110598-google-revelar-misterio-barcazas

jueves, 27 de febrero de 2014

Nomad Living: Shipping Container Project

Do you pay an exorbitant price for a dwelling that serves only for sleep? If so, you might be a modern nomad. Fortunately, Studio ARTE gets it. With their NOMAD Living project in Algarve, Portugal, the design ensemble explores the boundaries and flexibility of the modern wayfaring lifestyle. Born out of a disused shipping container, the project is a cheap and obtainable shelter that we could easily picture in a variety of locations, serving a variety of different purposes: office space, home or quiet, personal retreat. Indeed, adaptability and accessibility are precisely the objectives of Studio ARTE’s initiative, offering a flexible solution to our increasingly cordless lifestyle. So, we find ourselves asking, where can we get one?

Via ArchiExpo
Fuente Original 
http://trends.archiexpo.com/inspiration/nomad-living




No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
 
 

miércoles, 26 de febrero de 2014

DIY Container home in West Asheville

Ryan Naylor of Grow Design is taking on a a container home build as a DIY project, he is kind enough to have sent some details through on the first stage of his project.

Details:
- location: West Asheville – exact location is private for his families sake.
- materials: Mostly re-used, scrap, and surplus materials including (but not limited to) two 40′ HC (high-cube 9.5ft. tall) shipping containers, a spiral staircase, a claw-foot bathtub, penny kitchen floor, etc.
- cost: UNDER 100K total. (property, materials, labor, city fee’s, etc.) for 1400 sq. ft. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home.
- time to build: 6-8 months
- insulation: spray closed cell foam and batt
- windows: HUGE window panes from the Asheville courthouse (they ordered too many and some in the wrong sizes) and re-used, surplus, windows from friends/family/Craigslist

Via JETSON GREEN
Fuente Original 
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2013/11/diy-container-home-in-west-asheville.html
 


No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
 

martes, 25 de febrero de 2014

Home That Can be Constructed In Less Than a Minute

JAYZ Building Solutions of Melbourne Australia have come up with an innovative solution for providing modular, prefab homes. They have recently launched the fully transportable InstantSlide house model, which is part of the company’s latest series of SMART2 (Superfast + Modular + Affordable + Robust + Transportable) accommodation buildings. Most of their designs cater to companies wishing to provide temporary housing for their staff on remote locations, such as on mining sites for example, while they also provide single-family modular homes.

The InstantSlide home is designed based on the measurements of a 20-foot or 40 foot container, and can therefore be transported worldwide just as simply as a standard container. Once the package arrives on site, the model can be assembled into a temporary or permanent home, or even used as an extension on an existing structure. All it takes for the InstantSlide to be assembled on site is the push of a button on a remote control and the assembly takes less than a minute.

The InstantSlide House can measure either 25 square meters or 50 square meters, and can house from two to four people. On site, the modular home can be unloaded by using a forklift or crane, or via a self-discharging truck. The InstantSlide house has a 50-year lifetime and is built to comply with all Australian building codes, as well as electrical and plumbing standards.

The InstantSlide house is built using a steel structure that is able to withstand D2-rated cyclones. The structure is seam welded, and includes a steel sheet external wall and roof cladding with a marine paint finish. The house is fully insulated using rock wool. Bamboo flooring is installed throughout the house, resting atop a termite treated marine grade ply base on a structural steel sub-frame. To create an effective thermal barrier, the house is also fitted with double glazed aluminum windows. The home also has a minimum 5 star energy efficiency rating.

The house comes with a pre-installed bathroom and kitchen cabinets, and are hard wired for television lighting, television, telephone and the internet. The InstantSlide model also has a number of optional features, such as a solar powered heat pump, hot water unit or an AC unit. JAYZ Building solutions also make modular homes of larger sizes up to 82 square meters, though those cannot be assembled at the push of a button.

Via JETSON GREEN
Fuente Original 
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2013/12/home-that-can-be-constructed-in-less-than-a-minute.html
 
No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.

lunes, 24 de febrero de 2014

MEKA reinvents shipping container housing

Shipping containers are wonderful things- for shipping. They are part of an elaborate and extensive infrastructure for moving goods cheaply and efficiently that has revolutionized world trade. They are also all the rage among designers and architects who have been converting them into housing, with varying degrees of success.

Then there is Meka. They do not build shipping container housing; they build what I will call housing containers- modules of houses that are built to shipping container dimensions to take advantage of the shipping container infrastructure, without most of the problems that actually arise from working with shipping containers.

Where a shipping container is designed with enough steel to stack nine high completely filled with stuff, Meka designs their boxes with just enough steel to do the structural job that is required, while filling in the rest with conventional building materials that cost a lot less, that are easier to work with, and provide some insulation. As Jason Halter of MEKA explained:
What we're working with is a more livable structure. A shipping container isn't really an effective building. The envelope itself is a bit tough to deal with if you are going to apply cladding to the exterior, you have to do considerable structural modification if you are going to put in doors and windows and if you compromise the corrugated walls you have to do a lot of restructuring.

Where conventional modular housing has a range of about 500 miles from the factory because of the cost of shipping, these things can go anywhere. Design director Jason continues:
We were fascinated with and wanted to continue to pursue the ease of shipping and trucking and rail. We also started with the idea of trans-ocean shipping, but now are working with a company that builds prefabricated housing for FEMA and others.
So what we are doing is taking a good, practical well insulated building envelope and then we apply our patent-pending framing system to it in order to achieve something that is both structurally very durable and can be picked up from its corner castings and be delivered to a site, and yet functions well with a timber frame that can be finished on the interior and clad on the exterior.  

Shipping containers are engineered with really remarkable componentry, but it's the beams and corner posts and the corrugated steel that all goes together to make it wonderfully rigid and strong. But I am working with my engineer to reduce and refine that cage to focus on what is absolutely necessary. But when you apply the timberframe, it becomes remarkably strong, we have been able to meet hurricane requirements for Louisiana.

When I first wrote about MEKA, there was some concern that they had figured out how to offshore housing production to China. In fact, they have found that it is more efficient and easier to control if they build in Indiana, so now it has the additional advantage of being American made. This also solves the certification problems, as the factory in which they are built is certified as a prefab manufacturer.

In normal shipping container housing, one has to either leave a lot of wall between the two modules or put in some very big beams to support the roof. here the load is taken by the bathroom wall and a single column at the end of the dining room table. It is a lot more efficient and cost-effective if you add what you need instead of trying to cut away what you don't.

Paul Rudolph once said "The Mobile Home is the 20th Century Brick."* After spending most of my life looking at shipping containers and thinking about how they can be used for housing, I really do believe that the ISO shipping container form is the 21st century brick, and that MEKA has turned that brick into a building at last.

Via Treehugger
Fuente Original 
http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/meka-world-reinvents-shipping-container-housing.html
 



No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
 


sábado, 22 de febrero de 2014

Royal Wolf / Room11

Royal Wolf es una empresa que especializa en el arriendo, venta y arreglo de containers nuevos y modificados. Utilizando las dependencias y el equipamiento de fabricación de esta empresa, Room11 transforma este típico volúmen clautrofobico, en un sistema de luminosos espacios de trabajo con patios interiores para dar vida a las oficinas administrativas y sede de la empresa en su centro de depósito y fabricación en Sunshine, Victoria.

Los recintos de Oficinas y recepción giran en torno a un patio central, al igual que la sala de reuniones, el área de la cocina y la Oficina del  gerente Regional, la cual se vincula también a otros patios.

La propuesta se estructura a partir de containers de 12 y 6 m posicionados en una forma tal que puedan construir 4 patios y al mismo tiempo un rectangulo que de forma a la totalidad del conjunto. Cada cara lateral de los containers fue remplazada por superficies vidriadas y en vez de recubrir interiormente la piel metálica de las otras caras,  las piezas que se cortaron para ser remplazadas por el vidrio, fueron re-utilizadas para crear paneles de aislación, de manera de exponer y celebrar la materialidad “cruda” o “sin pulir” de la piel del container. El cielo de cada container está tratado de la misma manera, considerando aislación en la parte superior y expresando la materialidad hacia el interior. Finalmente, dos containers son posicionados al final del conjunto, creando una claraboya estrecha y alta que permita  el ingreso de luz natural en el acceso, y al mismo tiempo pueda transformarse en un elemento que indique la continuidad del plano del suelo.

Situado a un lado de una autopista y en un area industrial, existe una constante carga de ruido a partir de los autos y del movimiento de la maquinaria pesada. A pertir de esto, cada oficina se orienta hacia los patios y jardines interiores, de modo de crear un espacio de trabajo que propicie la interioridad a partir de la luz natural, para mitigar el ruido y distanciarse de la agitada actividad industrial.

Via Plataforma Arquitectura
Fuente Original 
http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/2014/01/15/royal-wolf-room11
 



No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
 

jueves, 20 de febrero de 2014

Boring or Brilliant? Simple Shipping Container House Plans

Bland is not necessarily bad when the goal is to cheaply and easily reuse something industrial as a residential space. While a lot of cargo container homes delight the senses, these few dozen rather austere, bare-bones modular designs somewhat boldly focus on the nuts and bolts, so to speak, of living in a metal box.

“InterModal Design believes in the power of simplicity, the importance of affordability and the necessity of green spaces to enjoy the comfort and beauty of nature. IMD began after the construction of partner Paul Stankey’s own shipping container cabin in the relaxing woods of northern Minnesota.”

Reduce, reuse, recycle – a classic but applicable motto – works well with these variously-configured shipping containers designed to be used as cabins, cabanas, guest houses or off-the-grid residences. There is nothing fancy (in a good way) about the fold-down chairs, tables and beds the tuck neatly into walls when not actively needed, opening up floor area and serving multiple uses.

Unlike many more-conceptual approaches, there is an appropriate minimalism to the process laid out by this pragmatic Midwestern company. They have a flat-fee design rate, offer guidance on permitting, and provide standard architectural advice related to site, soil and foundation requirements and assistance with delivery and setup.

Still, not all of their ideas are strictly limited to conservative interiors and unfinished exteriors – some are overly more ‘home-like’ in terms of their outer form, while nonetheless using elemental prefab building blocks to keep down construction costs and eliminate unneeded complexities. Even these more-evolved models utilize existing open ends rather than unnecessarily cutting new doors and windows into old recycled containers.
 
Via DORNOB
Fuente Original 
http://dornob.com/boring-or-brilliant-simple-shipping-container-house-plans/#axzz2tw95l6Ul
 




No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.

Could ‘micro-homes’ offer housing solution?

Shipping containers have long been a sturdy mainstay of global maritime trade.
In the city of Brighton, on the southern English coast, the durable metal boxes now also provide an low-cost housing option.
In early December Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) and property developer, QED, opened 36 shipping containers retrofitted with kitchens, bathrooms and insulated plaster-board walls.
The units have been erected on spare land in the city and will be used to house local homeless people, the number of which has been increasing steadily in recent years, according to BHT chief executive, Andy Winter.
“There’s a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Brighton,” Winter told CNN. “I was initially very skeptical about housing people in metal boxes … but the containers have been converted to an extremely high standard.”
Temporary accommodation like this “could really make a difference in the short term,” he added.
While the concept of transforming shipping containers into housing units has been experimented with before — including in Amsterdam, where containers are used to house students, and London, where they offer a quirky waterside abode beside the Thames — Winter believes the idea, or similar iterations of the concept, could offer a timely solution to urban housing challenges the world over.
Low supply, lack of available land as well as stringent planning laws have seen rents and property prices soar in many major cities in recent years. Houses prices in London increased by 10% in a single month in October, according to property experts, Rightmove.
Via architecture lab online magazine
Fuente Original 
http://architecturelab.net/2014/01/micro-homes-offer-housing-solution
 
No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.
 

miércoles, 19 de febrero de 2014

Cargotecture

El sector de la construcción es una de las industrias que mayor desecho genera en el en el mundo. Viendo un edificio, casa o construcción tradicional desde una perspectiva de producto, el final de su ciclo de vida se traduce en metros cúbicos de escombros, con muy pocas propiedades interesantes para su reutilización, además de muy poco valor como material reciclado. Los métodos tradicionales de construcción han ido evolucionando hacia una responsabilidad con el medioambiente y la certificación LEED es uno de los grandes avances en construcción sostenible.

Ahora, existen alternativas más pragmáticas, de fácil implementación, que no requieren de grandes inversiones, procesos burocráticos, o avales internacionales. Son estas las alternativas que pueden potenciar la inventiva y el ingenio en nuestro país. Son estas alternativas las que consideramos válidas para contextos como el colombiano, donde no todos tienen las mismas oportunidades, medios, contactos, ni capital.

Existe una gran diferencia entre reciclar y reutilizar, donde la reutilización o upcycling, tiende en general valores sostenibles y ambientales de mayor fuerza, ya que el objeto, producto o material Reutilizado, ha concluido su ciclo de vida tradicional, y por medio de adaptaciones y modificaciones, se ha convertido en un objeto con un mejor y diferente propósito, generando gran valor agregado sobre lo que consideramos hoy como basura.

Los contenedores marítimos son extremadamente estables. Un contenedor de 20 pies (6m.) pesa 2.4 toneladas, puede soportar otras 24 ton. y puede ser apilado en 8 pisos.  Los contenedores de carga pueden ser utilizados para tal fin durante 14 años aproximadamente, momento en el cuál es imposible utilizarlos para transportar carga. Este producto, como la gran mayoría de los que utilizamos directa o indirectamente, se convierte en desecho y es acumulado tanto en puertos como el de Barranquilla, Cartagena o Buenaventura, como en parqueaderos y lotes dentro de las ciudades del interior, como se presenta el mismo caso en la mayoría de países del mundo. Al combinar un desecho de gran volumen con tan buenas propiedades estructurales, con una fuerte tendencia como la de reutilización, ha comenzado a surgir mundialmente el concepto de Cargotecture.

Los contenedores de carga fueron utilizados inicialmente sin ninguna modificación o adaptación. Por ejemplo, fueron utilizados como bodegas de herramientas, o espacio de almacenamiento. El siguiente paso fue utilizar los contenedores de carga para otros fines, como para vivir, como también adaptarlos de acuerdo a diferentes necesidades.

CARGOTECTURE EN EL MUNDO

-El albergue estudiantil Keetwonen en Amsterdam, es actualmente la ciudad de contenedores mas grande del mundo, utiliza 1.000 contenedores de 40 pies para generar un total de 28.800 m2 utilizables y fue construido en menos de 6 meses. Cada unidad cuenta con un baño y balcón privado, además de zonas comunales, cafés, un supermercado, espacio de oficina y áreas de recreación y deporte.

 Freitag es una marca suiza, ícono europeo en responsabilidad ambiental, desarrollo de producto sostenible y expertos en reutilización. Utilizando carpas de camiones, cinturones de seguridad, y neumáticos que cumplieron su ciclo de vida, realizan diseño y manufactura de bolsos y accesorios desde 1993 y son líderes en Europa. Marcas como demano Barcelona y muchas otras, han sido inspiradas por la propuesta de Freitag. Para su tienda principal, en Zurich, desarrollaron y construyeron un edificio de 9 pisos, cuyo diseño tuviera una gran coherencia conceptual con su marca. Aprovechando el edificio como medio de exposición, visibilidad, y publicidad, el principal mensaje percibido por el público en general es el de responsabilidad, innovación y sostenibilidad ambiental, asociados rápidamente a la marca presente.

Como Freitag, varias marcas han utilizado los contenedores como medio de construcción, principalmente para generar diferenciación, visibilidad, free-press, impacto y  el posicionamiento como una empresa ambientalmente responsable.

 -Illy Café creó un sistema hidráulico para este café móvil de la marca, que activa y desactiva la unidad por medio de un botón. Es actualmente el ícono de responsabilidad social para la marca en Estados Unidos.

CARGOTECTURE EN COLOMBIA

En Colombia podemos ver ejemplos en campos y excavaciones petroleras, donde son utilizados como viviendas móviles temporales y en obras de construcción, donde se modifica el contenedor para ser utilizado como oficina durante la construcción. Un ejemplo más creativo de esto en el país, es Zona Libre (4), un parqueadero público de carros y una agrupación de contenedores con diferentes negocios ubicado en el Poblado - Medellín. Sus creadores: la Arquitecta Marcela Rincón, Alejandro Botero y Eduardo Altman, rescataron la estética del contenedor como estructura metálica, sismo resistente y trataron de no perderla. Manejaron aislantes térmicos, ventilaciones cruzadas, pinturas especiales etc, para crear confort al estar dentro de ellos, convirtiéndolos en un centro cultural con buena gastronomia.

Via NEON Revista de Moda y Tendencias
Fuente Original 
http://revistaneon.net/espacios/75-cargotecture.html





No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.

lunes, 17 de febrero de 2014

Downsizing in a Prefab Container Home

The premade container home maker Cargotecture now offers a prefab home that is a perfect way to downsize yet retain the comforts of living in a larger space. The c-series 640 Lookout model measures 640 square feet, and features a large living area with a kitchen, a spacious bedroom and bathroom, a media room and a lofted sleeping area for guests.

The Lookout is constructed by joining two 40 foot shipping containers in a way that creates a single 16’x40’structure. When ordered, the Lookout is delivered in two 40’ modules, and then the whole home can be assembled very quickly and affordably.

The walls, floor and roof of the Lookout model are all insulated to 15% above IBC and UBC building codes, meaning that the homes can be assembled in cold climates as well as hot ones. The insulation used is recycled plastic and soy sprayed-in insulation with R-values of R24 for the walls, R 44 for the ceilings, and R32 for the floors. The roof can also withstand 60psf snow loads.

The base model of the Lookout costs $189,500 and includes the following features:

• A Recycled ISO cargo container (with new paint)
• Soy based spray foam insulation
• Aluminum clad wood windows and doors (one 10’ long opening and one side door)
• Bamboo finish on the floor
• 5/8” drywall ceiling and walls
• Panelized wet room bath with redwood decking
• Duravit bath fixtures
• IKEA cabinets and kitchen fixtures and lighting
• Summit appliances
• 30 gallon electric water heater
• Convectair Apero heat
• Factory plans, State L&I permits and inspections

The owner can also choose to upgrade with several standard options, such as adding additional windows and doors, retractable bunk beds, an outdoor deck or opting for a Fujitsu Heat pump, which offers both heating and air conditioning.

The company also offers an off-the-grid upgrade. These upgrades make the container home totally self-sufficient, and include natural gas or propane appliances, water heater and furnace. To take care of the energy needs of the household, solar panels and an inverter are also installed. The off-the-grid option also includes composting toilets, and a roofwater harvesting and reuse system. These features depend on the climate in which the home will be primarily used.

The container home is also fully transportable, including its foundation. So if the off-the grid option is selected when purchasing, these homes can be moved to different locations based on the owners wishes.

Via JETSON GREEN
Fuente Original 
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2014/02/student-housing-made-from-shipping-containers.html



No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.

domingo, 16 de febrero de 2014

Boathouse Made From Shipping Containers

Boat builder Steve White from Belfast, Irland has recently constructed a houseboat made from shipping containers. He intends to live in it and has parked it in the Brooklin marina. White was helped in bringing his project into existence by SnapSpace Solutions, which is a Brewer company specializing in repurposing containers for living and office space, as well as Ellsworth container homeowners Jennifer Sansosti and Trevor Seip, and boat builder Andrew Baldwin.

The houseboat is constructed from two recycled shipping containers, which are offset and joined together by a wall that extends up to a second floor loft. The entire house is set on a 30’x50’ barge and creates a cozy, spacious home. The entire houseboat measures 24’x40’ and has around 1,000 square feet of living space, which includes two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen.

The outside of the containers was painted red, while large windows were cut into the sides to let in the maximum amount of natural light. The interior is fitted just like a real house, and includes radiant heat floors, a fully equipped kitchen and bamboo flooring. The house is heated by a propane gas furnace.

White opted for shipping containers as the main building units of his new houseboat because they are affordable, structurally sound, green and only require a minimal investment to make them habitable. They are also designed and built to last in marine environments.

The builders were, however, faced with the challenge of how to make the large steel structure float. In the end they designed a barge, which is basically just a box. The flotation is made possible by plastic pontoon cylinders filled with foam. These are impervious to salt water and very sturdy when placed in the water. Though out of water, the cylinders can’t support the weight of the home.

Another challenge faced by the builders was the thick steel hull of the containers. They had difficulty cutting it, since it was hard to cut and prone to flexing and bending. In the end they used a steel frame to firm it up and make it more rigid.

White and his wife plan to stay in the house for part of the year, and rent in out during the summer months. He also has plans for the construction of more such houseboats made from shipping containers.

Via JETSON GREEN
Fuente Original 
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2014/01/boathouse-made-from-shipping-containers.html


 
No es soló lo que hacemos sino como lo hacemos.

Student Housing Made From Shipping Containers

Architect Christian Salvati of Marengo Structures built the house on Vernon St. in New Haven, Connecticut out of six recycled shipping containers. The house was co-designed by architect Edsel Ramirez, and they used 45-foot containers, into which holes for doors and windows, as well as some of the interior walls to make rooms, were cut out prior to transporting them to the building site.

The entire construction process on site took less then four hours. The builders transported the containers to the site on flatbed trucks, then positioned them into place using a crane. Prior to the beginning of the construction process, they laid a concrete foundation, which is about 45 times stronger than foundation used in the construction of regular houses.

The house cost $360,000 to build, though Salvati is optimistic that the cost will decrease substantially as he builds more shipping container homes once the economy of scale becomes applicable. Salvati purchased the lot where the house stands for $22,500 from Hill Development Corporation. The house has two separate apartments. The downstairs one is rented out to students, while Salvati uses the upstairs apartment when he visits New Haven.

The shipping containers they used are longer than standard containers, and they first painted the walls white on the inside and grey on the outside. The front of the house was fitted with a wooden façade that matches the other houses in the neighborhood, though the grey exterior sidewalls are still clearly visible. Salvati left the original doors of the container in place, and these now swing out in the rear of the house to create the sides of the back porch. From the inside the house looks no different than a regular house.

The interior of the home has sheetrock walls and ceilings, while the floors are made of poured and polished concrete. The walls are insulated with six inches of closed-cell soy-based sprayed cellulose. The house is heated by baseboard hot water heaters, while the house is also fitted with radiant floors. For cooling, air conditioners, ventilators and ceiling fans were installed.
Salvati is also currently planning a larger shipping container housing project in the New Haven area, which will be built using 26 shipping containers. This house will also be flood proof, as it will be elevated by the use of 9-foot concrete pilings. The six-apartment housing project, to be located on the flood plains area, was recently unanimously approved by the New Haven City Planning Commission.
 
Via JETSON GREEN
Fuente Original 
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2014/02/student-housing-made-from-shipping-containers.html
 




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