American Container House Community

Container house communities exist in the United States. The houses in these communities use containers as basic units, which are prefabricated in factories and then transported to the site for assembly.

Construction Method

Unlike traditional buildings that are constructed brick by brick on-site, container houses are assembled. The factory breaks down the entire building into several independent space units. More than 80% of the processes, including the main structure, interior decoration, and the installation of electromechanical pipelines, can be completed in the workshop. After the houses arrive at the designated location, only a small number of processes, such as module assembly and water and electricity connection, are required before they can be put into use, with almost no additional large-scale construction needed. For example, China Construction Steel Structure Jiangsu Co., Ltd. produced prefabricated "building-block houses" for the North American market. These houses were packed into containers in the form of four independent modules for transoceanic transportation. Upon arrival at the site, they were directly assembled and delivered as fully furnished residential products that met local standards.

Advantages and Characteristics

• Environmentally friendly and low-carbon: During the on-site assembly phase, no large-scale noise or construction waste is generated, highlighting significant low-carbon and environmentally friendly advantages that precisely meet the stringent requirements of the North American market for green construction.
• Quality controllable: Factory-based operations transfer most processes to the workshop, greatly improving the precision of product quality control. Workers no longer have to work in harsh outdoor and high-altitude conditions.
• High efficiency: Taking a 18-story high-rise residential project in Hong Kong undertaken by China Construction Steel Structure as an example, the construction period would take 3 to 5 years using local traditional construction methods. However, with a modular construction plan, the project was completed and delivered within one year, shortening the overall construction period by 60% to 70%.
• Good safety performance: The overall structure can withstand strong typhoons and high-intensity earthquakes, and its safety performance meets local building codes.

Practical Applications

In some areas in the United States with expensive rent, such as San Francisco, villages composed of containers have emerged. Some young people personally renovate containers to turn them into comfortable residences. Others form companies to purchase more containers, renovate them, and then rent them out to more young people who hope to pursue their dreams in big cities.