Beautiful Shipping Container House Concept by Whitaker Studio, California

Shipping container house impresses with containers stacked at various angles.

Floor plan

Architectural model

About Whitaker Studio

Project: Joshua Tree Residence
Architecture: Whitaker Studio
Area: 200 sqm (2,153 square feet)
Bedrooms: 3
Location: Joshua Tree, California

After years with a similar project in hand and without a client in sight, London architect James Whitaker was able to get off the ground and start building a container house - but not just any, made from the well-known metal boxes, simply supported on top of each other. This one took on an unusual shape, being stacked vertically, horizontally, transversely ... alternately until completing a 180º radius on the ground!

This profusion of containers, which appear to have exploded from the ground, was commissioned by a filmmaker and his wife who owned a 36-hectare rocky area of ​​southern California's Joshua Tree National Park. To conceive it, Whitaker imagined a white exoskeleton, which will have its base supported by concrete columns. Thus, the segmented look of the containers can be seen from the outside, but inside there is a slight integration between the environments.

This feature allowed the interior to be extremely lit, as the containers will have part of their top cut out to include glass doors and windows. In this way, it is possible to observe the vastness of the desert and the sky from virtually all sides.

Whitaker Studio explores the formal possibilities of the container with a house in the desert.

Blooming through the California desert, Whitaker Studio's Joshua Tree Residence is taking containerized buildings to the next level. Set to begin construction in 2018, the residence is distributed in a range of containers, each oriented to maximize views, provide abundant natural light or create privacy depending on its location and use.

Situated on a 90-acre site, owned by a Los Angeles film producer, the residence is a reconfiguration of a previous concept created by Whitaker Studio for an office building in Germany that was never realized - a project remembered by a friend of the customer during a recent field trip.

"Earlier this year, my client in Los Angeles visited some friends and, having little time, everyone took a trip to visit the client's site in Joshua Tree," explains studio founder James Whitaker. "While they were there, between the arid landscape and the rocks, one of the friends said," Do you know what would look great here? ". Before opening her laptop and showing everyone a photo she had seen on the internet."

"The image was of an office that I had designed several years ago, but it was never built. And so, the next time the client was in London, he got in touch and asked us to set up a meeting."

This concept was then transposed to the desert site, at the top of a rocky outcrop where a small ravine had been created by precipitated rainwater. The "exoskeleton" of the transport container would be raised on concrete pylons, allowing the water to continue to pass underneath.




Inside the 200 sqm residence there will be a kitchen, living room, dining room and three bedrooms, each filled with natural light and decorated with pieces by designer / architect Ron Arad, Whitaker's former chief. Behind, two containers extend to meet the natural topography, creating a protected outdoor area with a wooden deck and hot tub.

The exterior and interior surfaces will be painted a bright white to reflect the warm desert sunlight. A nearby garage will be covered with solar panels, providing all the energy needed for the house. To make the house a reality, AKT II engineer Albert Taylor provided structural consultancy during the development of the concept.

Floor plan

Architectural model

About Whitaker Studio

I’m James and Whitaker Studio is home to my work. Work that I love doing. Everyday I work hard with teams of other people to create the best possible work we can, and these days that work is predominately architecture. Our projects pepper the globe ranging in size and use.

Whitaker Studio doesn't have a set style, or set way of working, but rather a constantly evolving collection of interests and themes we want to explore. We start every project with no preconception of what it should be other than that it should be the best possible project it can be.

The path that has led me here has often diverged from straight architectural practice and I've worked with photography, digital artistry and film making. This love of the eclectic has broadened the way I view the world and provided me with a constantly growing set of tools for approaching new projects. Where the Whitaker Studio path goes next I do not know, but I do know that we will continue working to make tomorrow's work even greater than yesterday's and enjoy every minute of the process.

James Whitaker is a registered architect. He studied architecture at The University of Edinburgh, where he also taught animation and multimedia. He has worked in London and Hong Kong in the studios of Thomas Heatherwick and Ron Arad on a variety of projects, big and small. James's photography work has been exhibited widely and published internationally, from the BBC Culture Show to Architecture New Zealand. Joshua Tree Residence was the most popular project on Dezeen in 2017.

Address	Whitaker Studio Limited, LG3 Cell Studios, 23-27 Arcola Street, London, E8 2DJ, United Kingdom
Phone 1	+44 20 7254 4777
Phone 2	+44 771 733 0910
Email	enquiries@whitakerstudio.co.uk
Website	https://www.whitakerstudio.co.uk/

More shipping container homes in California:

McConkey Shipping Container Home, San Diego, California

Low Cost Shipping Container Office Space, Los Angeles, California

Two-Story 4x40ft and 1x20ft Shipping Container Home, Santa Barbara, California

20 ft shipping container home in Sacramento, California

Shipping Container Duplex House, Redondo Beach, California

Shipping containers in loft apartment, San Francisco, California

Modular Shipping Container Home in Mojave Desert, California

Refrigerated Shipping Container Home, San Francisco, California

192 sq ft Shipping Container Guest Cabin, San Francisco, California

Beautiful Shipping Container House Concept by Whitaker Studio, California

Cafe Infinity - Shipping Container Restaurant at University Campus, India

Architects create restaurant with recycled containers in India. Built in the shape of the infinity symbol, coffee shop is a part of university facility.

Drawings

About RJDL

Project	Cafe Infinity
Architecture	RJDL
Area	2960 ft²
Client	ITS Greater Noida
Year	2019
Location	Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, India
Photographs	Rahul Jain

In search of more sustainable architectural solutions, the RJDL office decided to reduce the use of concrete as much as possible in the construction of the new area of ​​a dental school in Noida, India. The result was a cafe built basically with recycled containers.

Located in the middle of the university campus, Cafe Infinity maintains the industrial aesthetic of the containers, while the interior is a neutral and welcoming place for students, teachers and visitors. Its format lives up to the name and refers to the infinity symbol, comprising two patios of space. The design also emphasizes the infinite possibilities of construction using containers as the main part of the structure.

With 12 meters in length, the containers were preserved to maintain the industrial appearance of the material. The versatility and robustness of the container make it accessible and effective, regardless of location or type of construction. Even blinds made of container doors have been reused, also helping to ventilate the space.

Inside, simple and economical materials appear in the decoration, with furniture made from steel and wood.

Description by architects

Cafe Infinity located at ITS Dental College, Greater Noida is designed to be used as a recreational space for students, faculty and patients alike. The vision was to design a sustainable structure that goes beyond the conventional and pushes the boundaries of design and build form. Recycled shipping container, being a sustainable product, was a perfect fit due to its modularity as well as economic feasibility as compared to the conventional RCC structure. The cafe is designed to stand out due to its form factor, and also in terms of its positioning, breaking the rigidity of the existing site layout. Focusing on the outer structure and containers’ industrial form factor the interior is kept neutral.

The design idea centers around two courtyards which comprises of two cafe outlets in the front ,two dynamic staircases acting as seating and providing access to the viewing decks, services(toilets) at the central container, seating areas for faculty and visitors and a lounge area for students. The seating is focused around the courtyard and provides an ideal view point of the inner courtyards and the outer landscape, which is often utilized for sporting events as well as other activities of the institute.

The organic landscape layout complements the rigid geometry of the containers and provides fluidity to the site circulation. Large glazing of staircases merges the rigid build form with the landscape. The landscape complements the industrial nature of the architecture, but also promotes activity, and consequently, vibrancy to the entirety of the site.




The building is formed with the use of recycled shipping containers (40 feet) that were crafted with the careful consideration to preserve its raw and industrial form. The structure, services and functionality are designed with a focus on sustainability. Passive cooling and insulation is provided with the use of 50 mm Rockwool insulation, gypsum paneling, fiber cement board for rooftop flooring, tinted windows, mechanical cooling, strategic placement of windows and openings to make the building perfectly adequate in the extreme weather conditions of the site. Louvers made of reused shipping container doors located in the south direction minimize the heat gain as well as give privacy from the public hospital adjacent to it while providing the view of the stadium.

The idea of using infinity was conceived to emphasize on the infinite possibilities of using a shipping container as a structural unit, regardless of the building type and site.The flexibility, modularity and sustainability makes shipping containers a perfect alternate to the conventional building structures (RCC), to reduce the overall Carbon footprint while also being an ecologically and economically viable solution.

Drawings

About RJDL

Founded in 2018 by Ar. Rahul Jain,RJDL is a design studio whose practice spans the fields of architecture,Interior Design,product designs and graphics designs . As an Architect, I want my designs to reflect the ethos of sustainable innovation – creating new uses and aesthetics in synergy with the environment.We strive to create impactful projects with aesthetic integrity and an enduring design character. Through a continuous exploration of holistic function and essential components, we implement a transparent, thoughtful, and rigorous design process that promotes excellence and sustainability.We believe that this constantly evolving world comes with its unique set of problems as well as opportunities,the humanity is at a decisive point in its relationship with the natural world and therefore the solution must be driven by a vision of creating awareness for ecologically responsible environments.

Address	D- 422, Block I, I-Block, Govindpuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201013, India
Phone	+91 97110 77312
Email	rjdl.india@gmail.com
Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/RahulJainDesignLab/
Website	https://www.rjdl.in/

Cafe Infinity - Shipping Container Restaurant at University Campus, India

Logistics Company's Shipping Containers Modular Office, Hong Kong

It looks like a beach house, but it's an office made with containers. 192 m² office space in Hong Kong has minimalist decor and sustainable solutions.

Drawings

About A Work of Substance

Project: Goodman Westlink Office
Architect: A Work of Substance
Containers: 4
Area: 192.0 m²
Location: Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Year: 2019
Photos: Dennis Lo

It was a time when offices were all the same and bland. This small company in Hong Kong proves that it is possible to combine design, good ideas and sustainability even in small work environments. Here, four containers gave rise to six flexible spaces, which adapt to different situations. Best of all, the place is surrounded by greenery and has the air of home.

The idea belongs to Maxime Dautresme, creative director of A Work of Substance office, responsible for architecture and interior design. He explains that building with containers is a way to celebrate sustainable architecture. Some of the walls received large glass openings, which take the surrounding landscape into the office and flood it with light. The construction can still be transported to another land if necessary, generating minimal impact on the environment. A project that transforms and inspires the work routine every day.

Description by architects

Containers are multifaceted; a strong symbol of a logistics company and a celebrator of sustainable architecture. Its modular construct naturally allowed us to use 4 containers to create 6 different spaces as a marketing suite for Goodman, with the flexibility to adapt to an evolving site. We maximised the opportunity to have extensive glass openings, which allows potential clients to have an overview of the surrounds. The layering of timber and glass softens the features of an inherently industrial product, establishing harmony amongst nature whilst bringing in light and tropical backdrops into the space. At the end, the build can be collapsed and transported, leaving minimal imprint on the original landscape.

Drawings

About A Work of Substance

Substance is a collective of people with imaginations so far reaching, that if we were a single hybrid person you would probably be afraid to be our friend. Our productivity is not purely achieved by sitting at the desk; napping for the explicit reason of conjuring surreal ideas is completely justifiable.

Contrary to most, our resume is filled with work we love to do, and it shows. Briefs, (not the kind of underwear), but the kind that stipulate deliverables make us giddy. In light of everything, our positive madness and overwhelming passion produces not just empty pretty things, but wickedly beautiful executions with substance.

Hong Kong
Address	Shop 3c. Tai on Terrace, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Phone	+852 3707 3581
Email	hello@substance.hk
Paris
Address	32 Rue Saint-Paul, Paris, France
Phone	+33 6 68 74 33 33
Email	info@aworkofsubstance.com
Stockholm
Address	Allhelgonagatan 7, 118 58 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone	+46 (0)762 07 40 90
Email	hello@substance.hk
Website	https://www.aworkofsubstance.com/

Logistics Company's Shipping Containers Modular Office, Hong Kong