The Bible. Of Container Architecture.
This is the first complete monograph of world container architecture. Its 260 pages offer a condensed experience of this young branch of architecture. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce container architecture and explain its characteristics, and Chapter 3 focuses on the ISO container system and highlights the ISO container itself – the LEGO brick that all presented pieces are made from. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 are a walkthrough of 46 hi-quality container projects (selected from over 300 candidates). Inventive architectural solutions using containers have won many prestigious architectural awards and even world famous architectural offices could not avoid them in their work. This goes to show that it is not what you use to make buildings; it is really how you use it.
This book contains 6441 containers.
Housing
The range of container housing is wide and spans from small-size retreat cabins to container villas and large apartment buildings. The housing projects distinguish themselves, in contrast to the modular building brick they are made of, by diversity of their exteriors and spaciousness of their well-illuminated interiors. More and more quality projects are beginning to emerge, especially in combination with other materials, such as wood, glass and concrete, the result of which is houses that are quite similar to other custom housing architecture – containers only spice them up a bit.
Conceptual & unbuilt
It was conceptual projects that started drawing attention to container architecture and showed that the steel box could be used for other purposes apart from transport. Conceptual projects are usually smaller in size, and often a single container is enough to get the message across. Many projects emphasize the cargo container’s main characteristics, such as its mobility, flexibility, cosmopolitan disposition, off-grid autonomy, etc. As container architecture as such evolves, it is beginning to gravitate toward more classical and lasting structures, but conceptual projects still remain testing their limits – as any true concept should.
Public Buildings
Public buildings have had special significance throughout history and as such have differed from other buildings due to their size, appearance or materials used. From this viewpoint, containers may seem inappropriate for such projects, but in the Public Buildings Chapter architects make us see this is not true. Well thought-out architecture and carefully chosen details breed buildings that rest on sound conceptual foundations and boast a high level of aesthetics. Public container buildings reach sound standards of quality, and it is a pity some of them are of an only temporary nature.
Each project is presented on 4–6 pages through text, quality photos and plans and divided into three different chaperts by their function:
Adam Kalkin: PushButton House
DeMaria Design: Redondo Beach House
Shigeru Ban: Nomadic Museum
Published by LINKS books. Available in English, Spanish, Deutsch, Italian and French language.