flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Must see: Student housing complex made with recycled shipping containers

Must see: Student housing complex made with recycled shipping containers

Architect Christian Salvati lives in one of the apartments of his new project in New Haven, Conn.


By BD+C Staff | February 4, 2014

In less than four hours, a construction team managed to build a two-story house out of six 45-foot-long shipping containers. 

The building, located in New Haven, Conn., was designed by Christian Salvati and Edsel Ramirez of Marengo Structures. The apartments cost $360,000 to build, and Salvati purchased the lot for $22,500 from Hill Development Corporation.

Jetson Green reports that Salvati hopes that he will see a large decrease in cost as he builds more shipping container homes, once the economy of scale becomes applicable.

The builders moved the containers to the construction site on flatbed trucks, then used a crane to put them in place. Holes for doors and windows and some of the interior walls to make rooms were cut out prior to construction. 

Here's a photo recap of the project:

 

 
A concrete foundation, approximately 45 times stronger than the foundation used in the construction of standard houses, was laid prior to construction as well.

 


While the front of the house is fitted with a wooden facade that matches other houses in the neighborhood, the gray exterior sidewalls are still visible. Salvati left the container's original doors in place, and they now swing out to create the sides of the rear back porch.

 


The home has two separate apartments. Students are currently renting out the downstairs apartment, and Salvati uses the upstairs apartment when he vists New Haven. Inside, the apartments don't look like they're built from shipping containers. 

 

 

The interiors have sheetrock walls and ceiling; the floors are made of poured and polished concrete. While heated by baseboard hot water heaters, the home also has radiant floors. Air conditioners, ventilators and ceiling fans have been installed for cooling. Finally, the walls are insulated with six inches of soy-based sprayed cellulose.
 

See Jetson Green's full report on the project.

Related Stories

Hotel Facilities | Apr 25, 2022

U.S. hotel construction pipeline up 2%, with 5,090 projects in the works

The total U.S. hotel construction pipeline stands at 5,090 projects and 606,302 rooms at the end of the first quarter of 2022, up 2% by projects, but down 3% by rooms, according to the Q1 2022 Construction Pipeline Trend Report for the United States from Lodging Econometrics (LE). 

Codes and Standards | Apr 25, 2022

Supply chain constraints, shifting consumer demands adding cost pressures to office fit-outs

Cushman & Wakefield’s 2022 Americas Office Fit-Out Cost Guide found supply chain constraints and shifting consumer demands will continue to add pressure to costs, both in materials and labor.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 25, 2022

Iowa's Field of Dreams to get boutique hotel, new baseball fields

A decade ago, Go the Distance Baseball formed to preserve the Iowa farm site where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed. 

Building Team | Apr 22, 2022

EarthCam Adds Senior Leadership Roles to Facilitate Rapid Growth

EarthCam today announced several new leadership positions as it scales up to accommodate increasing demand for its webcam technology and services.

Architects | Apr 22, 2022

Top 10 green building projects for 2022

The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its COTE Top Ten Awards for significant achievements in advancing climate action.

Mixed-Use | Apr 22, 2022

San Francisco replaces a waterfront parking lot with a new neighborhood

A parking lot on San Francisco’s waterfront is transforming into Mission Rock—a new neighborhood featuring rental units, offices, parks, open spaces, retail, and parking.

Legislation | Apr 21, 2022

NIMBYism in the Sunbelt stymies new apartment development

Population growth in Sunbelt metro areas is driving demand for new apartment development, but resistance is growing against these projects.

Architects | Apr 21, 2022

A conversation with architect Robert A.M. Stern

The architect Robert A.M. Stern discusses his newly published memoir that touches on his childhood in New York and 50-plus-year career.

Building Team | Apr 20, 2022

White House works with state, local governments to bolster building performance standards

The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council says the Biden Administration’s formation of the National Building Performance Standards Coalition is a “tremendous” step in the right direction to raise building performance standards in the U.S.

Market Data | Apr 20, 2022

Pace of demand for design services rapidly accelerates

Demand for design services in March expanded sharply from February according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).  

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021