Container Modifications In the UAE That Can Change The Urban Landscape

Revitalizing The Neighbourhood With Shipping Containers

When Malcolm McLean designed the first intermodal shipping container, little would he have thought how far the big steel box would be put to use other than the purpose he originally intended it to serve. 

The shipping container has a new norm: retire it from the life on the seas and give it a new avatar. Or better still: manufacture the container but use it for something else.  Container modification in the UAE and across the world is taking new ideas and changing unused landscapes like never before. 

With building material and other related costs skyrocketing, shipping containers have proved to be an extremely resourceful and economically viable option. As a result, even large cities like New York and San Diego have warmly welcomed this urban change. 

Some of the ways shipping containers are being used are smart  ideas that will leave you gobsmacked! 

5 Ideas To Change The Urban Environment With Shipping Containers

Juxtaposing New Ideas With Old Ones

Urban areas in big cities are usually large with houses and commercial buildings that are well-spaced.  Designers are using land that lies between two buildings to set up container cafes with open seating areas.  Containers can also fit into oddly shaped plots with small dimensions and be artfully transformed into high-end boutiques.  

Using It As A Farmer’s Market

On-site farm stands constructed from shipping containers are used to sell produce directly from the farms. These farm-stands are painted in bright colours and are a sharp contrast to the jagged skylines of the cities. Fitted with a refrigeration unit, these containers are also used to store leftover produce and food. 

Using  The Container As a Mini Indoor Farm

POdPonics, a company in Atlanta, USA, has kickstarted what they have termed “next-generation urban culture”.  Using technology, they have created hydroponic farms inside containers. So, there is your farm growing organic produce and sitting right in the middle of a city!

Portable Dog Parks

Petsmart  P.U.P is a pop up dog park that has been created with a shipping container and a portable fence that can be taken to any empty space to make it an instant playground for dogs. 

A Bicycle Parking Garage

The Century Building in Pittsburg, USA, has cleverly converted a container to serve as a secure bicycle-parking facility.  Known as the Bicycle Commuter Centre, this facility sells spaces for cycling commuters. It also offers racks for short-term bike parking.

Containers That Serve Unusual Purposes

With financial support from the Gates Foundation, Caltech and Kohler teamed up to manufacture hygienic public toilets that can be put up in urban environments. These toilets are extremely functional, completely self-contained and come with a system to treat its own waste water. 

These toilets will be very useful if deployed in the rural areas of developing countries where the public has no access to clean restrooms. 

The shipping container is repeatedly proving itself to be an extremely efficient and inexpensive way to change the realm of the urban environment.

Read More : Things To Know About Hiring A Shipping Container