Sustainable houses

To convert old shipping containers into sustainable buildings: this is the idea developed in the London's Docklands, in the UK.

 

The London docklands development is composed of environmentally friendly work studios and lofts stacked on top of each other to create a 5-story building. Instead of using a 1 container = 1 unit approach, the system relies on components in various permutations to create very livable, adaptable spaces.

 

According to architect Nicholas Lacey "the modular nature of the containers, their adaptability, and the fact that they can be found in industrial surplus make them an ideal prefab material".

 

Aside from this residential project, the system has been used in projects as diverse as classrooms, office spaces and even youth centres.

 

THe idea of converting decommissioned containers into flats or offices has also been developed in other European countries.