An Innovative Approach to Safe
and Environmentally Friendly, Affordable Housing
Safe and Stable
- In coastal areas like Florida, which are subject to hurricanes, there is significant benefit.
- The shipping container is constructed to withstand hurricane and typhoon-force wind conditions while stacked nine-high on an ocean-going mega-freighter. (Christine Walsh, May 28th, 2014, Container Design)
Innovative Design
- Unique, modern design.
- Can be used in a variety of ways – single family homes, multi-family residential, mixed use – business and residential, temporary and permanent post-disaster housing, student housing, workforce housing, emergency shelters, commercial use – the potential is limitless.
- Coolness factor – appealing to the younger, millennial demograph thanks to design and sustainability.
Environmentally Friendly
- A container has 8000 lbs. of steel which takes 8000 kwh to melt down & refabricate. Minor repairs to a container, such as those required for repurposing for housing use, typically needs use about 5% of this energy. (David Cross, www.sgblocks.com)
- More eco-friendly to upcycle a container rather than scrapping and sending to a landfill. Steel is not a compostable material.
- Acidification – the effects of building corrosion, water body acidification, vegetation effects and soil effects are greater with conventional construction than containers. (ISBU Association)
- Containers nearly eliminate the use of trees (i.e., wood) in building a home.
- Energy savings – shipping containers are a tight envelope and, with careful modification and proper insulation, provide a very efficient building.
Applications
Currently, the development threshold unit count for affordable housing is 200. This precludes urban infill developments. Crisis Housing Solutions aims to fill this development gap.
This design was created for a recently completed feasibility study, which found the shipping container concept to be cost-competitive with housing built conventionally using reinforced concrete block with wood floor and roof trusses.
This is an important finding because the benefits accorded to this project over conventional affordable housing designs are significant and adaptable to:
- Temporary & Permanent Disaster Housing
- Single Family Residences
- Multi Family Communities
- Mixed Use Properties
