Shanghai Container House Zhihu

Container houses in Shanghai are characterized by innovation, flexibility, and practicality, and are applied in residential, office, and commercial fields.

In terms of innovative design: Designers in Shanghai have creatively transformed container residences, utilizing the concept of 'trading time for space' and constructing houses through modular prefabrication. For example, they integrate living and working spaces, where the same space evolves different functions over time. In family mode, there are high-ceilinged living rooms and bedrooms, while in office mode, all functions are reconfigured. Additionally, through industrial prefabrication, variable building components are transported to the site for installation, allowing for multiple combinations in the future. There are three variable points in space: foldable walls, floors, and push-pull spaces.

In terms of flexible applications:

• Residential field: There are cases where containers are placed on the roofs of office buildings as sky offices, such as a tech company in Shanghai's Lujiazui, where three white containers are stacked in a staggered manner, providing a comfortable interior environment and a good view. There are also instances where container offices are 'planted' into lawns, like an educational institution in Chengdu, which is semi-buried in artificial turf with vegetation on the top, and has reasonably arranged workstations inside, creating a pleasant natural environment.
• Office field: A design studio in Hangzhou has a cluster of containers where the side panels of adjacent containers are hydraulic sliding doors, allowing for instant changes in space functions to meet different office needs.
• Commercial field: Containers can be used to build commercial districts, exhibition and reception areas, creative and innovation parks, etc. For example, container modular commercial street displays can be quickly constructed with low requirements for the land foundation. They can be installed in various locations such as squares and roadsides, with a simple approval process and a construction period about 60% shorter than that of traditional civil engineering.

In terms of environmental protection and economy: Container buildings are green buildings. The construction process can be integrated into factory prefabrication, reducing on-site construction waste and noise pollution. Compared with traditional construction methods, they can reduce on-site construction waste by more than 75% and noise pollution by more than 90%. Moreover, container houses are movable and reusable, minimizing investment costs.