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Architect Designs Incredible House Out Of Shipping Containers, And The Interior Is As Good As The Exterior
Living in a shipping container in the middle of the desert might not sound like everybody’s idea of fun, but wait until you see this stunning creation by London-based designer James Whitaker.
The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms, is made from several conjoined shipping containers set at various different angles, creating the illusion of a flower blooming in the desert or a structure more akin to another world entirely. It was designed for an unnamed film producer who has a passion for nurturing creative projects, and as you can see, it doesn’t get much more creative this this!
“Earlier this year my client in LA had some friends visiting and, having a little time to spare, they all went on a road trip to visit the client’s plot of land in Joshua Tree,” said James. “One of the friends said, “you know what would look great here?”, before opening her laptop to show everyone a picture she’d seen on the internet. The picture was of an office that I’d designed several years ago but had never been built, so the next time the client was in London he got in touch and asked to meet up.”
The home, called The Joshua Tree Residence, will be built on the client’s 90-acre plot of land in California, and construction is scheduled to begin next year. Once finished, the residence, which will be solar powered from panels on the garage roof, will offer stunning views across the surrounding landscape from the many windows and the large wooden deck. Still don’t think living in a shipping container in the desert sounds like fun?
More info: Whitaker Studio
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What do you think ?
Anna Sheridan 8 years ago
Certainly creative and artistic, but not homely, but that's just me am more of a traditionalist when it comes to architecture!
lazy panda 8 years ago
Agreed. All of the white walls and random corridors makes it feel like some sort of insane asylum.
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Vlad Horobet 8 years ago
It's pretty interesting, but the space is kinda...angled. Too tight, too many sharp corners. Also the superior windows are inside the container, they should have been at the end. Easier to be cleaned and no dust or water could have settled at the bottom of the windows, on the exterior. But a cool idea nonetheless.
Aunt Messy 8 years ago
Can you imagine vacuuming that place? What a nightmare!
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Dani Marie 8 years ago
“The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms,“
Load More Replies...
Aldis Rapsys 8 years ago
Idiotic. Good for 3D design but almost absolutely non-functional(considering the effort it would take constructing it). I'm supposed to climb over my headboard to go to bed?????
Halfey Halphstein 8 years ago
Agreed. This is more of a form over function. With a more 'traditional' design the house would have gained additional space. Maybe the flower-like design is for collecting water from occasional desert rain but it looks like it's not designed to be easy to clean.
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Jim McNelly 8 years ago
I work with shipping containers for a living. They make cramped houses and offices. If you put three inches of insulation and paneling inside, the net width is 86 inches, only 7 feet.. The ceiling is only 8 feet high without insulation or light fixtures. They are extremely difficult to torch, cut or weld. The underside of the plywood floors are coated with asphalt epoxy which is pretty nasty stuff. The exposed C-channels underneath are virtually impossible to insulate. Once you cut through the channel steel skeletal frame, the containers lose much of their structural integrity. The containers that are purchased for under $2,500 are typically banged up and warped. To get a nearly new one, expect to pay $4,000 or more, plus the cost of drayage, unloading and setting into place. Whoever built this white house must have owned a crane.
Enrique Moreno 8 years ago
Thanks Jim. Your comments were very useful to me to quickly understand how impractical it is to build abodes with SCs.
Load More Replies...
Megan Spainhour 8 years ago
How the heck do you get in and out of that bad that's wedged into the wall?
Pam Falcioni 8 years ago
Looks cool until you realize there's no storage, the floor plan is awkward as heck and the design is incredibly inefficient in so many ways.
Anna Sheridan 8 years ago
Certainly creative and artistic, but not homely, but that's just me am more of a traditionalist when it comes to architecture!
lazy panda 8 years ago
Agreed. All of the white walls and random corridors makes it feel like some sort of insane asylum.
Load More Replies... Vlad Horobet 8 years ago
It's pretty interesting, but the space is kinda...angled. Too tight, too many sharp corners. Also the superior windows are inside the container, they should have been at the end. Easier to be cleaned and no dust or water could have settled at the bottom of the windows, on the exterior. But a cool idea nonetheless.
Aunt Messy 8 years ago
Can you imagine vacuuming that place? What a nightmare!
Load More Replies... Dani Marie 8 years ago
“The 200-square metre house, which includes a kitchen, a living room, and three en-suite bedrooms,“
Load More Replies... Aldis Rapsys 8 years ago
Idiotic. Good for 3D design but almost absolutely non-functional(considering the effort it would take constructing it). I'm supposed to climb over my headboard to go to bed?????
Halfey Halphstein 8 years ago
Agreed. This is more of a form over function. With a more 'traditional' design the house would have gained additional space. Maybe the flower-like design is for collecting water from occasional desert rain but it looks like it's not designed to be easy to clean.
Load More Replies... Jim McNelly 8 years ago
I work with shipping containers for a living. They make cramped houses and offices. If you put three inches of insulation and paneling inside, the net width is 86 inches, only 7 feet.. The ceiling is only 8 feet high without insulation or light fixtures. They are extremely difficult to torch, cut or weld. The underside of the plywood floors are coated with asphalt epoxy which is pretty nasty stuff. The exposed C-channels underneath are virtually impossible to insulate. Once you cut through the channel steel skeletal frame, the containers lose much of their structural integrity. The containers that are purchased for under $2,500 are typically banged up and warped. To get a nearly new one, expect to pay $4,000 or more, plus the cost of drayage, unloading and setting into place. Whoever built this white house must have owned a crane.
Enrique Moreno 8 years ago
Thanks Jim. Your comments were very useful to me to quickly understand how impractical it is to build abodes with SCs.
Load More Replies... Megan Spainhour 8 years ago
How the heck do you get in and out of that bad that's wedged into the wall?
Pam Falcioni 8 years ago
Looks cool until you realize there's no storage, the floor plan is awkward as heck and the design is incredibly inefficient in so many ways.
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