One of the more unique recycled home ideas is certainly the Morton Loft in New York City, which was constructed from a disused petroleum trailer tank. The architecture firm LOT-EK, which specializes in building homes from shipping containers, completed this project back in 2000. They used the tank to create 2 sleeping pods, which come complete with hydraulic piston hatchback doors, and 2 capsule bathrooms, which were placed on top of each other. The home was commissioned by Joshua Morton. To build the loft, the architects used a decommissioned tanker trailer, which still shows signs of wear and tear from its days on the road. It once carried 7,200 gallons of gasoline and weighs roughly 100 pounds per linear foot.

Read more »

The city of Johannesburg, South Africa, recently got an innovative student housing structure made of recycled shipping containers and disused grain silos. Mill Junction student accommodation, as the complex is called was designed and built by the South African property developer Citiq. All told, the building process took a year to complete.

The complex is located in a prime location of the city, and is comprised of 11 stories, which contain 375 affordable student apartments. First, windows were cut into the sides of the silos, the inside of which was converted into student apartments. To create additional living space, recycled shipping containers were then attached to the sides of the grain silos and stacked four floors up atop them. Apart from the private units, the complex also contains several common areas, such as study rooms, a library, communal kitchens, and a gym. The builders also placed astro turf on the roof and covered it to create an outdoor common area with amazing views of the city, since the entire structure is roughly 40 meters high.

Read more »

Steve recently completed the construction of his Tin Can Cabin, a home away from home in northern Wisconsin, which he built from three shipping containers. Even though he has no professional building, engineering or architectural experience, he designed and built the cabin from the ground up by himself. He estimates that the entire cabin, complete with furnishings, will cost him $80 per square foot.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »