San Francisco-based pizzaiolo Jon Darsky turned a shipping container into a fully functioning food truck, complete with a 5,000 pound wood-burning oven.
Repurposing has become a buzz word for designers and ecologists over the past several years. The concept has little resistance and plenty of benefits. It’s cost effective, great for the environment, and aesthetically pleasing.
Architecture and design firms Perkins+Will, Group8, and many others are taking repurposing to a whole new level and are arguably creating a new standard of modern design. Their canvas? 40-foot shipping containers. These colorful cartons are gaining new life through intuitive design, and they’re the focus of a wide array of highly functional spaces. These former logistical throwaways have become an incredible display of industrial design and high-concept, low-cost usability.
I’ll be honest, there are only a handful of moments in my life that have caused me to think “did that just happen?” Included on that list is this play during the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, every single episode of Breaking Bad, and the day I found out about the Doritos Locos Taco. Today, I added shipping container architecture to the collection.
This past summer Infinite Family, with the help of Perkins+Will, turned shipping containers into computer labs for students in South Africa who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. They plan on opening 100 more within the next five years.
Swiss firm Group8 is changing the office dynamic with their innovative (and colorful) design. By utilizing open floor plans with high ceilings, the firm was able to create one-of-a-kind conference rooms that give energy to an otherwise bland workspace. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “thinking outside the box”.
The founders of Sleeping Around, a sleek, mobile hotel, are using the shipping container concept in a surprisingly comfortable way. These simple, yet attractive rooms provide a much-needed rest for weary travelers with an eye for modern design. I suddenly feel the need to plan a trip.
(Photo credits: Fast Company)
Think people should hear about this?