Recycled Shipping Containers As Disaster Response: School Built In Four Weeks After Earthquake

by Paula Alvarado

from http://www.treehugger.com/

Photos: VientoFuerte.cl.

Shipping containers continue to prove their value to build almost anything, from amazing office buildings to houses to even boy scout cabins.

And although their use as a disaster response has been questioned, they've proven to be a useful resource when a tsunami hit Chile last year and a group of students from a local university was able to re-build a local school in a devastated town in only four weeks.

A fishing town of 3,000 people, Tubul is located about 500 kilometers (300 miles) south-west from Santiago, and was one of the areas most affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

In an effort called Viento Fuerte (Strong Wind), the architecture department of the Finis Terrae University gathered 56 advanced students to design, mount and equip a school for the town.

The project was built from 22 shipping containers donated by a company, which were properly isolated and used as prefab modules. There are 20 containers on ground level and two on a second level, which were jointed by one of their large sides to conform the different classrooms and spaces.

In between, there are open areas that serve as patios, which are shaded and covered to protect children from the rain. Part of the old school building that survived the earthquake was connected to the new structure.

Despite containers having been accused of 'top down' solutions in crisis response, the promoters of the project claim this school was designed not to be a temporary solution but a definitive, full functioning building.

As mentioned, an amazing part of the project is that it was designed and built in only four weeks after the earthquake. The university published a video in English sharing the experience:

The rescue of the Chilean miners and the Japan earthquake have long pushed the Chilean tsunami out of the news, but TreeHugger experienced first-hand that its consequences remain. The initiative Viento Fuerte keeps working on the reconstruction of Tubul and are currently gathering donations for their new projects.

The Container of Hope: Designed For People, Not Stuff

by Lloyd Alter

from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Images credit Benjamin Garcia Saxe, used with permission

Shipping containers were designed for stuff, not humans, and by the time architects finish adapting them for people there often isn't much left of them. But they are cheap and plentiful, and architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe has managed to adapt a pair of 40' containers so that humans can be very comfortable indeed.

It is economical too; the whole thing cost $ 40,000. The key move here is that he has cut out almost the entire side wall of the container, and set the two boxes far enough apart that the spaces are now appropriately scaled

He then uses the material cut out from the side to make the roof,

Turning it into a clerestory window that brings in light and lets out hot air.

He takes a pretty good chunk of the exterior walls out as well, replacing them with glazing. The result doesn't feel like the inside of a shipping container at all.

Benjamin describes the process:

Gabriela Calvo and Marco Peralta dreamed of living in their fantastic property outside of the city of San Jose, where they could be with their horses and enjoy the natural landscape whilst being 20 minutes away from the city. They made the very bold choice of exploring with me the possibility of creating a very inexpensive house out of disregarded shipping containers that allowed them to be dept free and live the life they always wished for.

It was important for me to provide them with the sunrise, the sunset, the spectacular views, and overall try and create a feeling of comfort and home. A roof between the two containers, made from the scrap pieces of metal taken to make the windows, not only creates an internal sensation of openness but also provides a cross ventilation which is surprisingly sufficient enough to never have to turn the air conditioning on.

Very nicely done, and beautifully photographed as well. More at Benjamin Garcia Saxe.

But I do wonder why they painted the BIC code out of the container identification number. Is it like taking the plates off a car? On the brown box, the missing letters are FSCU.

More on shipping container architecture
Cargotecture Lands At Sunset Celebration
Can Green Design Be Dumb Design?
Shipping Containers Being Used Everywhere for Everything
The Shipping Container Scene in 2010

Inexpensive Home Built With Recycled Containers

by Admin

from http://sciencehax.com/

Building a home that is inexpensive and unique in same time is real challenge today. A perfect example how home can be built with less money is this house which is designed by architects Claire Helene Drouin and Jean Marie Sanchez.

The entire house is built with 15 recycled shipping containers. After it is finished, you would never notice that it is built from containers and it has a very fashionable design.

This home is built in Marseille, France where you can find a plenty of shipping containers that are waiting to be recycled and used again. Maybe the coolest fact is that this home is pretty mobile and it could be eventually relocated to another place.

Image source

Amazon Fails At Gift Wrapping Your Nephew's X-Mas Present

By Meg Marco, 10:45 AM on Tue Dec 9 2008, 98,198 views

Matt would like to let Amazon know that there's no point in gift wrapping a present if you then put the gift wrapped item inside a box that says what the gift is. This should probably be self-evident — but alas — it isn't.

Matt ordered this copy of "Tales of Beedle The Bard" for his 13-year-old nephew. He paid an extra $4 to have it gift wrapped. Amazon actually gift wrapped it, then put the gift wrapped book inside a box that said what it was. Matt is annoyed.

My 13 year old nephew is a huge Harry Potter fan. So being the loving uncle that I am, I ordered for Christmas the “Tales of Beedle the Bard” special Amazon only deluxe edition. I also paid four dollars to have the gift pre-gift wrapped for Christmas. Unfortunately there will be no glow of surprise and joy as he opens his gift this Christmas. No I did not tell him what he got and yes the gift was properly wrapped. The fail here is the fact that the shipping box was covered in stickers and printing indicating exactly what was inside of the shipping box.

Enjoy this bad packaging.

Sigh.