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Plans for container homes in Hong Kong get a mixed reaction from experts

• tyingq 9y ago
  It's a metal box with dimensions that aren't great for housing needs. So you modify it by adding insulation, cutting and welding pieces together, etc. Which makes it neither prefab nor great base material. I don't see what the surprise is.
  • mc32 9y ago
    On the other hand they are standard sized, rugged, weather resistant, modular, stackable and affordable. The right configuration can be impressive. Sure, it has some form limitations, whose alterations would obviate their use in the first place, but they can be made to work within some limits.
    • burntrelish1273 9y ago
      This hipster fad doesn't scale and won't live long. A couple of containers made corrosion resistant, partially buried are fine for climate-controlled storage and make good sheds. Maybe two floors. I'd rather use most of a derelict 747, after hazmat elimination, as a building if we're going to get "creative," because containers are passé.
      • mc32 9y ago
        They may not be well suited for expensive land like Hong Kong, but many other places they can make economic sense. I wouldn't consider them for anything more than 4 floors --but they can address some niche housing needs in other places. They don't have to be dull or bad, if retrofitted the right way. Now, granted, now that we've developed techniques to build with very standard modules (rather than traditional pre-fab), container MFGs could tweak their designs to fit better into homebuilding. A bit wider a bit taller, a bit lighter, a bit better thermally. All addressable aspects. With respect to aspect, we have shotgun houses and single-wides as other aspects which have worked in the past. Those basic dimensions could inform what might work for a modular all-purpose building block. Legos for housing.