Are There Container Houses Abroad?
Container houses do indeed exist abroad, and they are used in a variety of scenarios, including temporary housing, residential homes, and hotels. Here are some specific examples:
Temporary Housing Scenarios
To reduce costs, the Nagoya Asian Games did not build a large athletes' village but instead used cruise ships, container houses, and hotels to accommodate athletes and officials from participating delegations. In the port area of Nagoya, approximately 200 container-style accommodation facilities were neatly arranged, expected to house around 2,000 athletes and team officials. However, these temporary container homes had numerous issues. Each unit occupied 35 square meters and contained four beds, with extremely narrow aisles that only allowed sideways movement. The beds were too short, making it difficult for athletes over 2 meters tall to stretch their legs. Additionally, there were problems with leaking sinks and wet floors. Extreme weather also posed a challenge; during heavy rainfall in Nagoya, hundreds of Asian Games athletes were once required to evacuate their accommodations, highlighting the need for improved drainage and waterproofing capabilities in container housing during such events.
Residential Scenarios
- New Zealand: Nestled in the forested hills of Titirangi, Auckland, is a small house made from two old shipping containers, covering just 45 square meters. It was the first residence in New Zealand to receive the "8 Homestar" certification, awarded by the New Zealand Green Building Council to measure a home's overall sustainability in terms of energy use, water efficiency, and material environmental friendliness. The interior of this house is warm and modern, with extremely compact space utilization. The main container includes a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, while the smaller container has been converted into an office and guest room.
- Export to North America from China: China Construction Steel Structure Jiangsu Co., Ltd. secured its first order for a full range of modular houses in North America. These prefabricated "building block" houses were shipped across the ocean in four independent modules packed into containers. Upon arrival at the North American project site, they were directly assembled into finished residential products that met local standards. The kitchen and bathroom layouts were orderly, and the living room decor was exquisite, on par with the standards of finished, high-end residential products on the market.
Hotel Scenarios
In Křešice, Czech Republic, there is a container hotel at a surfing campsite, designed by the Czech company ARTIKUL Architects in 2015. This fully movable, eco-friendly, and self-sufficient building is composed of two 20-foot and one 40-foot containers, creating a cool, multi-level space with a total of five rooms.
