Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘container conversions’

It is no good, I haven’t been able to get Susan away from thinking about the shipping container that housed the wave machine for surfers and swimmers that we featured in our last blog.  All she has been going on about since then is getting the right sort of kit to wear whilst learning to surf.  So before getting into more serious issues later this week, I thought that I would share with you a photo of a sports shop that is made from an adapted container - which could well be the answer to all of Susan’s shopping needs.

This shipping container conversion would be ideal just about anywhere, and whilst here we see it converted into a retail outlet for sportswear, it could really be adapted to sell just about anything.  Think how useful it would be at one of the many events we have going on in this country - ,be it a game fair or one of the county shows or even a food or music festival.

The fact that it is a steel container would make it very secure when locked at night and it is easily transportable so it could be put almost anywhere.  Particularly if you placed it on its own plinth as featured here - quite a thought.

Shipping Containers can be used in so many ways that there is always a new conversion specification to produce.

Torque Container Outside

Last month Prime Horizontal, a company based in USA, commissioned two 20ft high cube iso shipping containers to be converted to house a hoist and needed steel work and power to support it. Two further standard sized iso 20ft shipping container conversions were required to be fitted out with cupboards and shelves to house all the supporting equipment required. All were resprayed in the company colours. These iso containers are going to be shipped between Europe and the USA depending upon the company’s requirements.

Re-enforcing steel work on torque container

This type of conversion is very different to the classrooms and offices that are more usually associated with shipping container conversions, but challenging in its own right. All four units took about 10 working days between them to complete before departing to the Netherlands and to Aberdeen.

Close up of steel work on torque container

The cost of new /once used shipping containers has been rising.  Even though cost wise shipping containers compare favourably to other means of secure storage, in the last month the cost of a 20ft new /once used shipping container has increased by nearly £200.  The next batch of new containers exported in from China is likely to be more expensive again.   Why should that be when the price of steel is dropping?

Shipping Container cost has always been dependant on both the condition of the container and its location (and therefore the transportation costs involved).   The market price of its principal constituent, corten steel, has also been relevant.  These are the factors that most people would consider to be the controlling influence on the cost of shipping containers.   What is often not taken into consideration as far as shipping containers are concerned is the effect of the currency exchange rate. 

For shipping containers, the currency exchange rate has had a major effect on the cost.   Anything to do with shipping uses the US Dollar as its currency.   As we all know the Pound Sterling has been dropping significantly against the US Dollar and this has meant that there are less shipping containers to the pound!   However, this has resulted in two other knock on effects on the cost of shipping containers.

 Firstly, as far as new shipping containers are concerned , the price increase has meant that less new shipping containers are being ordered.  As a direct result of this  some of the factories in China (the main producer of new shipping containers) have closed - and as we all know less competition is never a good thing for competitive pricing!

Secondly, the shipping industry itself is suffering in this recession with less actual shipping happening on a world-wide basis.   This has meant that the shipping lines are tightening their belts and are holding onto their  existing shipping containers for longer.  There are therefore less used shipping containers coming onto the market.  At the moment the second hand market is holding steady price wise, but prices will no doubt rise as second hand containers become scarcer.

All is not doom and gloom however.   In comparison to many other forms of storage, shipping containers are - and will be - priced favourably.  After all many other materials are also increasing in price due to the market conditions!    Shipping container conversions such as offices, accommodation and classrooms are going to continue to be a more economic solution than conventional building methods.  The modular construction of shipping containers and their integral strength mean that they are not only ideally suited for many projects but also that they are always going to be quicker to assemble and instal than bricks and mortar.  The fact that the containers are designed to be easily transported by road, rail and sea mean that delivery of the containers onto site  is not a problem.  In short, despite the price increases, shipping containers still have a lot going for them! 

How long this world-wide recession and the weakness of the Pound Sterling will continue is open to speculation.   What will always be true is that shipping containers will continue to be a versatile and economic solution.

We have been getting a lot of enquiries recently from schools asking about shipping containers for secure storage. Storage needs range from keeping bicycles safe, additional on-site storage for sports equipment to archiving school records. The requirements range from an 8ft container to a 40ft one.

What has been most marked recently though is the number of schools asking about shipping container conversions to provide classrooms either permanently or whilst a major redevelopment project is being undertaken. Obviously, whilst standard considerations apply to this sort of conversion such as insulation, windows, personnel doors, heating and lighting, special consideration has to be taken into account as the containers are going to be used by children. This affects lighting for example which has to be of a higher tamper proof variety than that installed in, say, a standard office conversion. Anti slip flooring is also important.

CS Shipping Containers also tries to arrange deliveries of either storage containers or the classroom shipping container conversion to fit in with the school time table. Often we deliver first thing in the morning before school starts in order to create as little inconvenience and to reduce any safety risks that may be incurred when children are around.

I get asked about once a month about burying shipping containers - either because of disguising them so they don’t stand out in the countryside or for the insulative properies that this will bring.  This week, for example, I got asked for advice about building bunker camping shelters made out of 10ft containers that would be buried at various points in the Yorkshire Dales.   Whatever the reason it is important that although shipping containers will support an enormous amount of weight directly on top (as we have seen in a previous post when shipping containers were used to support a bridge in Utah), this is only if this weight is placed over the load bearing iso corners.  The top and the sides of the shipping container are prone to flexing otherwise and this means that the roof can, and will, eventually collapse.  So at the risk of being boring and giving you more information than you would ever want to know about how to bury a shipping container safely I am going to outline one method of doing this safely just in case you have your own shipping container conversion in mind that would need this sort of information!

Let us take as an example a 40ft container that we want to almost completely bury.   First of all dig a hole.   This should be 16ft wide, 55ft long and at least 6ft deep.   Any hole this large is going to fill with water so a sump or a trench needs to be dug before lining the base and 2ft up the sides with heavy duty foundation plastic.  A french drain with an integral silt shield should be put in the bottom of the hole, staked into place so it does not go under the corners or the edge of the container.   Secure the plastic within 6″ of the sides with t-posts before covering the base with 6″ of gravel.

If you are not completely exhausted by this stage, the shipping container can now be placed on top of the gravel in the centre of the hole, making sure it is level.   To support the sides and top of the iso container a barricade needs to be built all around.  This can be in the form of gabion or hesco baskets filled with rocks or sand or, providing that they do not touch the container itself,  walls of tyres filled with sand.   These need to be built up so they stand proud of the container top and can support heavy timber crossbeams and a false  “roof” covered with another layer of plastic so that the container can be completely buried.  At the door end of the container protect the doors by building a wooden post frame around them so they can open easily whilst the surround can be appropriately disguised if required.

All of this proves that burying a shipping container for whatever container conversion you have in mind is not a task lightly undertaken.   It takes a vast amount of work but, if done properly, is well worth the effort.   Should you be inspired to have a go, let me know how you get on.

Shipping Containers are a fantastic start point for all sorts of conversions. They can be converted into so many different things - some of which we have featured in earlier posts.

Site accommodation, offices, classrooms, housing complexes and workshops are but a few of the shipping container conversions that are available.

shipping container conversion - cargo container city

How then, do you go about planning your own bespoke container conversion? The first step obviously  involves working out exactly what sort of conversion you require.   You should then ring some companies specialising in shipping container conversions and ask them for advice and to help you draw up a final specification.   Sometimes drawings are a good idea as it enables you - and them - to know exactly what is required and for you to agree on what you want produced and at what price.   Often you can have specific items detailed such as windows, personnel doors etc so that you can decide within budget how many you need or can afford.  Don’t forget that containers can be joined together to provide larger spaces.

Our next post will go through some of the modifications you can make to a shipping container that you may like to consider if you are planning turning a shipping container into an office, home or even a series of workshops.

We have been looking at how shipping containers make good homes and so today I thought that it would be fun if we had a look at some of the more eclectic uses that shipping containers have been put to.

Adam Kalkin’s developed the absolutely amazing concept above showing what can be done with shipping containers.  It was originally used in Italy at the 52nd Venice Biennial as a coffee stand by Illy but has subsequently traveled to the USA and elsewhere where it always makes an impact!  Not many cargo containers are able to do this at the touch of a button!

At the other end of the scale - at least technologically speaking - we have an example of a high rise building in Zürich which looks exactly like what it is - 17 old and rusty cargo containers.

The company has a strong ecological product ethos and so have used a shipping container conversion to make their 85ft high Freitag Shop.  It is connected by staircases and has a viewing platform at the top.

But shipping containers of whatever size don’t have to always be converted into anything quite as spectacular as the examples pictured above.  They are often found in much more everyday settings.  Our local garage has converted a 40 foot ISO container into a car wash which works very well.  Simon, our website guy, was out and about this weekend when he spotted this 20 foot shipping container providing shelter and security for a cash machine.  Thank you to him for taking a photo with his mobile!

But let us not forget the more everyday cargo container conversions.  These include chemical stores, refrigerated containers, smoking shelters, insulated containers, recording studios, tack rooms, p.e. equipment stores, offices, classrooms, roadside cafes, mess rooms and canteens to name but a few!

So, from the extraordinary to the everyday shipping containers can provide solutions on many different levels as a ecologically friendly, adaptable and highly transportable option for whatever conversion you are considering.

The showpiece at the Singapore Biennale 2008 this year is the Containart Pavillion.  It is made from 150 Shippng Containers and 35 ten metre recyclable paper tubes.

The 20ft containers were fashioned into this extraordinary pavillion by Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban and now house works of art by over 50 different artists.

The Singapore Biennale runs until the 16th November so anyone wanting to go and see just how amazing shipping containers can look has until then to go and see the Containart Pavillion.

Having written about the Aces Basketball Team yesterday, we started to think about all the schools and sports clubs that have been ordering shipping containers to use as stores for their sports or ground equipment.

At this time of year, even though it feels as though we haven’t really had a summer, there is a change over in the sports played. Cricketers are looking to pack away bats, stumps, lawnmowers and rollers so that they will be safe and ready to use next year. Bath Ford Cricket Club, for example, took delivery of a 20ft container earlier this month to store their ground equipment in. The fact that it is a steel container means that they can leave it on site knowing that their equipment will be as secure as possible. With the lockbox and security padlock in place they have taken every precaution they can.

Schools too have been ordering shipping container conversions for PE storage. High View School in Barnsley had a container shelved with lighting and electrics and a personnel door so that pupils and staff could use it to store all the PE kit on site. Hindleys Community College had a 25ft container specially made to site alongside a sports pitch for the same reason.

But it doesn’t stop there. In the last month we have taken orders for shipping containers to be used for canoe storage, tackrooms, to house quadbikes as well as for a clubhouse for a football team.

Shipping containers being made of steel, with a secure locking system in the form of the lockbox or shroud which is welded on to the door to make illegal access to the padlock difficult, and the hardened shackle CISA padlocks really do offer a secure answer for sports storage.

There are many reasons for shipping container sales. Most second hand shipping containers are not, in fact, sold for shipping. The most common reason for the sale of containers is for storage. The sizes of shipping containers - which vary from 8ft long to 40ft long - make them extremely versatile at fitting in to a variety of spaces as storage containers. Add to this the fact that the corten steel construction, when coupled with a lock box and heavy duty container padlock, make shipping containers extremely secure, it is not surprising that so many of them are sold for storage.
But there are other reasons for shipping container sales. The block like structure of shipping containers make them very adaptable and ideal for container conversions. These conversions can take many forms. 20ft iso containers are often adapted to make offices, classrooms, workshops or site accommodation. The basic box is insulated and lined, fitted with electricity to provide electrical sockets, lighting and heating as well as having personnel doors, steel shuttered windows and suitable flooring. The result is an extremely flexible space that is easily transportable and, again by its very construction, secure.
Nowadays, however, developed techniques mean that the conversions that are undertaken are not just limited to one container. Shipping container sales often result in multiple containers being sold. They have been used for student accommodation at universities (many hundreds of containers!), community centres or youth centres (often consisting of sales of 4 or 5 containers) and work preparation areas (2 containers). And it does not stop there. Architects have been building attractive and affordable housing out of the containers, art centres and even state of the art coffee bars or tanks for surfing.
Shipping container sales are not longer limited to the shipping of goods. There are so many more uses to them than people wishing to transport their goods abroad when emigrating. These adaptable units provide a number of economic and adaptable solutions to everyday needs. Their flexibility not only saves money and - where major construction is concerned, time - these shipping container sales also carry a “green” seal of approval when what is an essentially industrial product is recycled for new use.