The Endless Possibilities of Steel Shipping Containers

Steel shipping containers are sort of like the Swiss Army knife of industrial assets. There are so many ways to modify and use them that it would take an entire search engine just to fit them all into one place. Whether you want doors or windows, or are using them for work purposes or leisure, the possibilities are endless.

Shipping is so big in fact that it constitutes roughly 90% of the world trade.For starters, here’s the basics of shipping containers. They’re typically used for the transportation of cargo, and they play a huge role in world imports and exports. In fact, shipping constitutes about 90% of the world’s trade, and most of that is done through the magic of roughly 20 million weather-resistant, water-tight steel shipping containers.

Now, for the fun stuff. Custom containers can be created for just about anything you can think of. They are absolutely ideal for remote projects that you need housing for, and there’s a ton of other great ways to repurpose them at an extremely low cost. Here are just a few of the most popular uses for steel shipping containers:

Portable office containers.

There is no better solution for your portable office needs than shipping containers. It allows you to bring your work wherever it needs to be, and they’re also perfect to add to your existing workplace. In a recent study of more than 2,400 employees, it was found that the more employees work in tight quarters, the more they take sick days. While this is just an ancillary benefit of a portable office, it goes to show just how much they can do for your workplace.

Pop-up shop.

Shipping containers can be outfitted with climate control, windows, doors with locks, and everything else you need to work out of what is essentially a small, inexpensive store. Whether it’s a boutique clothing store or your own little café, a shipping container can provide the tools you need to succeed. You can have them outfitted with shelves, lighting, awnings, and tons of other add-ons to accommodate your business.

Play room for kids.

One of the most popular trends in the steel shipping container industry is placing them in the backyard as a clubhouse for children. Every kid wants their own place to bring friends and play, and shipping containers make the perfect private space for your children to make their own. They allow kids to get creative and offer protection from rain and snow to let them play for as long as they’d like.

These are just three of the infinite ways that shipping containers can be useful to you. A great distributor can customize your container to fit your needs, and once you have them, you can do any number of things to truly personalize your shipping container experience. Have fun!

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go”, How Shipping Containers Move Around the World

There’s no better feeling than receiving that package you have been waiting for all week! Whether you ordered something online, or you were waiting for a friend’s package from across the country; your special delivery has been on a remarkable journey. But have you ever wondered about all the places your package has passed through? From the moment your package is prepared for shipping, it has gone through various trucks, trains, and/or shipping containers, and each package has a story to tell!

The most interesting route your package will take is when aboard a shipping container – a steel container used for shipping or storage. These containers make great room for storage space, and come in all types of sizes, and some are even equipped to be refrigerator containers. In most cases, shipping containers are manufactured overseas, filled with cargo (ex. Your package), then shipped to the United States, and sold as a storage container. The life span of a container being shipped around is short, but the use and function of a shipping container is endless.

Due to China’s surplus of exports, 90% of shipping containers are manufactured in China. Once the container is manufactured, it is then sent to a port, where it is then loaded and prepared for its journey.

Your package may have sailed through different ports in Asia, Europe, or even South America before it reached your doorstep. But once a shipping container has made its way to its destination, it is either sold for storage, or it finishes its journey as a large truck on the road.

Repurposed Shipping Containers

A shipping container may be repurposed into various structures; like restaurants, coffee shops, pop-up stores, playgrounds and more! Since repurposed shipping containers started showing up all over the world, there are some organizations that take these containers to the next level. Using the containers for the better of the community and environment.

Matchbox in South Africa

Image via The Guardian

People around the world have purchased containers and upcycled them for multipurpose structures. In South Africa, a shipping container is used as the foundation of an established childcare service. These repurposed containers provide daytime shelter for children whose parents are away working during the day. It also provides stability for the childcare service that was established way before the shipping container was involved.

Local Shipping Container Produce

Image via The Washington Post

In Minneapolis, one man is changing the way grocery stores buy and sell their produce – through his shipping container crop. Ryan Sweeny has repurposed a shipping container to grow basil and other herbs. This insulated and refrigerated container allows Sweeny to grow his basil year round, using LED lights and without the use of pesticides. As an entrepreneur, Sweeny was able to increase his asking price from $8/lb of basil to $40/lb. This revolutionary and innovative way of growing herbs is a prime example of the many ways shipping containers can be repurposed for the better of the environment.

Freitag

Image via Freitag

The use of a shipping container is incorporated with this inventive start-up that creates unique, handmade messenger bags from recycled material; all through the doors of shipping containers. Freitag describes their bag making process in five simple steps, going from finding raw material, cutting tarps, washing, designing, and sewing; these handmade bags offer a unique way to show off upcycled raw material. Since starting out, Freitag has increased their number of products, which consists of different types and sizes of bags. The array of products is manufactured in repurposed shipping containers. Along with using recycled raw material, Freitag gives back to the artistic community by holding contests of designing your own container.

Homes

 

Image via IES

It seems as if using a shipping container as a building foundation has become a trend; and with this trend, there’s a good chance that your package that you received may have passed through someone’s future home! There have been a good number of consumers that have bought a steel container and renovated it for personal use.

So whether you’re buying local and fresh produce, or you’re buying a unique messenger bag, the chance of your product being made and/or transported in a shipping container is increasing.

5 Creative Uses for Shipping Containers You Wouldn’t Believe!

When you think of shipping containers, you might picture a plain old, steel container. You would think equipment containers are only utilized for shipping large amounts of goods overseas or the typical storage and transporting uses. However, you will never believe the incredible structures people have created! Transformed from something that people typically wouldn’t want to see displayed in an everyday setting, you won’t believe your eyes when you can’t recognize these shipping containers anymore!

 

Cost-effective and easily accessible, shipping containers make an ideal accessory to create some of the most amazing projects, made from just small ideas but even bigger imaginations!

Vacation Retreat

If you’re building something from shipping containers, why not construct a vacation home someplace far, far away you can escape to for a nice getaway, right? Say, in the middle of the forest or beach? Much more affordable than buying or renting out a hide-out location, shipping containers are made from very durable material, perfect for constructing walls for the perfect retreat.

Image via 1Kindesign

The Coromandel beach home in New Zealand is a flawless, holiday home container creation for the ultimate mental relaxation, designed by Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects. This amazing beach house was built next to the relaxing waters, capturing an unbelievable view! With sliding front and back doors, it becomes an experience that keeps you in touch with the beauty of nature. It makes the ideal lay out porch during the day and a comfy, romantic lair at night.

Images via 1Kindesign

Tours

While shipping containers are designed to be portable items, why not put them on wheels, make it your own hangout spot for you and your friends, and go anywhere you desire? With already many containers on-the-go (a.k.a. trucks and boats), these designers took the idea of traveling to a whole new level! You won’t believe your eyes when you see this… shipping container?

Lvshe Design created this on-the-move shipping container, Jike Idea, that seems to be the real-life Transformer. Convertible into a tea house, pavilion, or movie theater, this awesome container on wheels takes designers on tours across China. While looking forward to their next showcase, these designers can relax and enjoy themselves on this modern, fun shipping container tour!

City

You might be thinking: “What in the world is a container city? That is not possible!” You’d be surprised at what England’s beautiful capital did. While many houses and buildings are built from shipping containers, the city of London holds Container City homes.

Image via Topics on Earth

Container City provides trendy and affordable renting space for a wide range of uses that is innovative and highly versatile. Brought out by Urban Space Management Ltd, Container City recycles industrial shipping containers to link and stack them together, providing high strength, prefabricated steel modules. With many different shapes and sizes of these containers, people have the freedom to utilize their building space suiting their needs.

Container City has successfully created classrooms, office space, sports halls, nurseries, community centers, artist studios, retail space, live/work space, sound recording studios, and other general uses!

 

 

Bunker

Safety, safety, safety! Underground bunkers have been built to create great safe havens for homes and buildings. With modifications and safety precautions, shipping containers can become protective underground shelters for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or any unplanned attacks.

Container walls are designed to endure extreme conditions; however, the steel roofs are not made to last long under heavy loads. So proper provisions must be considered before these can easily turn from a safe-place to a disaster itself!

Image via Shanghai Metal Corporation

 

Image via Shanghai Metal Corporation

Pop-Up Restaurants and Shops

Why wait for customers to find you, when you can find them? Turning heads and engaging the average eye, pop-up restaurants and retail space is a fun, chic, and modern way to repurpose the normal use of shipping containers!

For an easy and inexpensive way to start a new business that travels in different locations to get their name out or just providing a fresh display to promote your brand, these pop-up shops take on this new trend in an exciting way!

 

Container pop up shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shipping Containers: The Perfect Office Space

When looking for a unique office space to house your organization, price is often the main concern. During the recession, architects were trying to find ways to deliver awesome and unique buildings at a price that people could afford. This is when architects caught on to the growing popularity of using shipping containers to meet all types of needs unrelated to shipping. Creating office spaces out of containers is an easy way for people to make great use of containers, at a much lower price than building something from the ground up

At IES we offer shipping containers specifically tailored for office spaces, complete with windows, doors, air conditioning and electricity. These containers are perfect for small businesses and large organizations alike; so take a look at the endless possibilities that only require a little out-of-the-box thinking.

Multiple Offices:

For those of you that like to think big, I present to you a complete box office complex made from shipping containers. Rather than just having one stand alone shipping container office, architects thought bigger and stacked various containers to create an aesthetically pleasing look.

After stacking and welding the containers together, walls were knocked out to create a more open floor plan. It only took a couple of days to get the containers into place, a much faster process than building an office from the ground up. This incredible office space just needed some plumbing and paint to create an amazing, comfortable and unique office space at the fraction of the cost of a conventional building. These office spaces have garnered worldwide attention for their eco-friendliness and striking looks.

Work From Home:

Many people work from home, but do not have enough space to get the job done. Often times this leaves home owners wishing to build upon their current home for an extension of space, or forcing them to take on the rent of a small office building. For those yearning to have the convenience of working at home, with adequate space, a shipping container is the perfect option.

The cost of the average shipping container is around 2-3K, a much less expensive option than adding on to your home. Shipping containers available at IES that will be used as office spaces come equipped with electricity hookups, so your office space will be ready in less than a day! This takes away the hassle of the often long and expensive construction process.

An added bonus, should you ever decide to move, your home office is portable. This will allow for easy transport of your office space without the hassle of renting out something new.

The Small Business:

Startups and small businesses can definitely benefit from the portability, inexpensiveness, and ease of shipping container office spaces. When starting out, most businesses need the space of a small office but don’t have a ton of money to blow on renting out a space. With a shipping container, you pay a small price and then have complete ownership over your space. It is an easy and low-risk option for businesses just starting out.  And, have the option of mobility, so that your space can be moved to a different location if and when the time is right. With a shipping container space, you can focus on getting work done from the get-go rather than worrying about finding the right space.

custom container office

Image via IES

Rather than stressing about finding the right office space for your budget, look no further than the shipping containers available to you at Integrated Equipment Sales. Our team is here to help meet your needs, big or small, so that you can get to work!

7 Spectacular Shipping Container Restaurants

You may picture it to be a bit odd for someone to eat a meal from inside of a regular shipping container. Not the way these brands transformed them! It may never even have occurred to you that these fully functioning restaurants started out as a normal shipping container. This is really something that you have to see for yourself to believe.

Warning: There is a high chance that scrolling further may cause sever hunger and even spontaneous decisions to fly across the world in order to dine at one of these locations. If you choose to do so, please do so at your own risk of having a one-of-a-kind experience!

shipping container pop up bagel shop

container pop up restaurant

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this