Shipping Container Backyard Office, BC, Canada

 

Project	RB Studio
Architect	Randy Bens Architect
Containers	1x40ft
Structural Engineering	Ennova Structural Engineers
Builder	KBC Developments
Project Participants	John Buttery, Intern Architect AIBC, Container West, Stickle Cabinets
Manufacturers	Structurlam, Herman Miller, Flor, Studio Italia design
Area	350 SF
Year	2016
Location	New Westminster, BC, Canada
Photography	Ema Peter

Description by architects

Completed within the winter of 2016, this modified shipping container is our new office. The practice was formed in 2005 to specialise in small, well-crafted buildings. After working in my headquarters with one staffer for several years, we decided to expand the practice (a little).

Lifestyle is vital to me and my wife, therefore the decision was made to expand to the rear yard instead of to a foreign commercial space. The goal was to possess the advantages of performing from home, while having an independent space for workers , an area to conduct meetings with clients and contractors, and to easily have more room to try to to our work. The independent shipping container backyard office contains a kitchenette, washroom, printer / network cabinet and an open studio space. the tiny meeting space are often configured during a number of the way , and therefore the table can join the desk for model making.

We checked out several construction options and settled on an over-sized corten steel shipping container. These containers were designed for mining operations and are 40’ long, 11.5’ wide, and 9.5’ high. The inherent durability of the steel shell, and therefore the ability to for us to require the structure with us when / if we relocate were two of the most important benefits.

The 350 sq.ft. shipping container backyard office cantilevers over its new foundation, and pulls all the services from the old 1930’s house that shares the property. Water, sanitary, power, and data were trenched from the house to the bottom of the building. The container was fitted call at the supplier’s factory, and arrived on site 95% complete,




The yellow cypress cladding was a city requirement (all shipping containers must be clad). The window and door also are yellow cypress , and they’ll be left to weather to a gray patina. The steel stair has already taken on a full layer of rust after one winter. the inside is lined in birch plywood to impart warmth, and therefore the Douglas Fir desk clear spans 19’ giving us a really flexible working space.

The reaction to the project has been universal within the neighbourhood and from visitors - everyone loves it. there's something about small buildings that the majority people find appealing. it's clothed to be a pleasing place to figure .

Floor plan, Elevations, Sections

About Randy Bens Architect

Randy Bens, Architect AIBC apprenticed with two of the finer architectural practices in North America - Arthur Erickson / Nick Milkovich Architects, and Busby & Associates Architects. While working for these firms, he graduated with Distinction from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and completed his registration as an Architect.

He is a Member of the Architectural Institute of BC (Architect AIBC), and holds a Certificate of Practice. After working on large, multi million dollar projects for other firms, randy bens architect was formed in April 2005 to focus on custom single family housing and select commercial projects.

The practice has been kept intentionally small, so we can provide a high level of service while focusing on a few quality projects each year.

Process

Each project is different because each client is different.

This is not an oversimplification.

The process begins by carefully considering all the factors that influence the project, not by selecting a style. The design unfolds as the relationship between site, program, budget, and client evolves.

Our goal is to deliver beautiful spaces that are tailored to the needs of our clients, that perhaps challenge the norm, and enhance the lives of those who inhabit them.

Address	1833 Edinburgh St, New Westminster, BC V3M 2X2, Canada
Phone	+1 604-540-5102
Website	https://www.rb-architect.com/

About Ennova Structural Engineers

Ennova Structural Engineers Inc is located in Vancouver, BC, Canada and is part of the Engineering Services Industry. Ennova Structural Engineers Inc has 4 total employees across all of its locations and generates $724,452 in sales (USD).

Key Principal Tim Lam

Industry

• Engineering Services
• Professional Services Sector
• Consulting engineer

Address	1820 Renfrew St Suite 200, Vancouver, BC, V5M 3H9 Canada
Phone	+1 604-255-7670

About KBC Developments

KBC, established in 1959, consults + manages all phases of residential design + construction. It is our belief that a high level of involvement is essential to ensure a consistent vision + seamless execution of design details. Working with our preferred contractors + suppliers, consideration is given to design sensibility, livability, and quality construction in order to contribute to a lasting investment.

Our approach is straightforward + practical – relying on close collaboration with our clients, architects + designers, consultants + engineers. Utilizing ongoing education + training, we proactively remain informed of beneficial changes in building codes, environmental concerns + initiatives - implementing new technologies + approaches that exceed the requirements - in order to build energy efficient, healthier + more comfortable homes.

Most of all, we find ourselves inspired by people + projects that creatively find innovative solutions to the way we live and build.

Our work focuses on highly custom homes of varied size + scale, along with upgrades to existing homes.

Based in Vancouver, and operated by brothers Harv Kliewer + Ron Kliewer.

Address	Kliewer Bros. Construction Ltd., PO Box 42043 Vancouver, BC, V5S 4R5 Canada
Phone 1	+1 604 760 3949
Phone 2	+1 604 764 7606
Email	info@kbcdevelopments.com
Website	https://www.kbcdevelopments.com/

Shipping Container Backyard Office, BC, Canada

Autodesk Shipping Container Conference Room, San Francisco, California

About Lundberg Design

About DPR Construction

Design	Lundberg Design
LD Team	Gavin Knowles, Omer Caparti
Project Team	DPR Construction, Holmes Cully
Year	2015
Location	San Francisco, California
Photography	Blake Marvin

Description by Lundberg Design

The Autodesk Applied lab is an expansion of the Pier 9 Workshop focused on research and innovation in robotics. Unlike the first workshop and office space, which had a selected and extensive equipment list, this space is all about planning for the unknown and therefore the flexible. We designed an open, double height space which allows teams to create , test, and showcase robots starting from tiny drones to massive industrial arms and beyond. This includes a double height glass rolling door to accommodate large pieces of kit also as 5’ wide, 2” thick steel plates cast into the concrete floor to permit the users to bolt or weld supports and attachment points anywhere along the space.




The lab is supported by an open office on the mezzanine and a singular room crafted from a shipping container. The users wanted a room that would be sealed from the noise and distraction of the lab but also open up to permit them to usher in a robot to display or allow them to host larger events. The modified shipping container, a regard to the economic nature of the work and therefore the maritime context of the pier, features a 16’ wide glass interior door that gives the specified connection to the remainder of the lab. Inside the shipping container room , a custom table was designed together with Autodesk and fabricated in-house within the Lundberg Design shop. The water-jet-cut steel and native true laurel slab table sits on industrial casters that allow it to be wheeled out of the shipping container room to form room for an outsized display or to function the middle for larger gatherings within the lab. A patterned inlay running down the middle of the table was built by the robotics team at Autodesk and includes thousands of custom 3D-printed lenses over an array of independently programmable LED diodes which will display images or bits of code and may be controlled from a laptop or tablet.

About Lundberg Design

We are located within the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco , during a 1933 mattress factory building. it's an ideal building for the type of firm we are – raw concrete walls and exposed timber trusses, with high volumes and enough square footage to deal with our architectural practice, fabrication shop, and even a work-week apartment for Olle. The practice has always been very diverse – we've designed homes, restaurants, wineries, corporate headquarters, distilleries, hotels, apartment buildings, bars, lobbies, and even San Francisco’s bus shelters. We describe our style as “nature-inspired modernism,” and that we strive for elegant, simple solutions in our work. We like materials with substance – wood, stone, steel; materials with heft and texture – really the other of veneer. For us the making of architecture may be a collaborative act; between ourselves and particularly with our clients – while we aim for poetry we also pride ourselves on making buildings that employment very, very well.

The work is sort of personal – to our clients, to the location , and to us; and thereto end we've always had a fabrication shop as a part of our practice. it's an area to experiment with materials and details; it's an area to create things. The shop may be a thanks to emphasize the notion of craft in our projects – the unique piece handmade for just that moment. this permits us to sometimes act a touch more sort of a sculptor, where the method of creating begins to tell the top result, in order that the pieces really do find yourself being one-of-a-kind. The act of creating is different from just drawing a thought – regardless of the value the mark of the hand makes the piece a sort of gift, unique and private thereto client. it's an inseparable a part of our design practice.

Our firm's basic philosophy for environmental sustainability is thinking long term: to style singular places that last. Architects got to lead the way in creating buildings that minimize resource consumption and carbon emissions, and ideally create a net positive impact. We utilize today's latest technologies and building strategies in our design toward these goals. the utilization of reclaimed materials, artfully integrated to make strong architectural statements that also are highly functional, is another hallmark of our firm. Yet, ultimately, our real mission is to supply beautiful buildings, each unto itself, buildings that the user and subsequent generations of users will love – this for us is that the essence of environmentally responsible design. If our buildings work well, capture the imagination of its users over generations, then the materials and energy that went into their creation are well spent. we attempt to style buildings which will far outlive all folks that build them, buildings that are admired and help show us how we will live respectfully within the bounds of our Earth.

Address	2620 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
Phone	+1 415-695-0110
Fax	+1 415-695-0379
Website	http://lundbergdesign.com/

About DPR Construction

WE EXIST TO BUILD GREAT THINGS.® It’s really that simple. We are a company of builders who exist to build great projects, great teams, great relationships, great value.

DPR Construction is a unique technical builder with a passion for results. Ranked among the top 50 general contractors in the country since 1997, we are a global self-performing commercial contractor and construction manager that has grown with our customers by delivering measurably more value. Whether a multi-million-dollar technical facility or a conference room renovation, we execute every project with relentless accountability. We listen to your goals. We develop strategies based on your business. We track our performance. We do everything we can to earn your trust and build great lasting relationships and raving fans.

INVIOLABLE BELIEFS. Our core values are a starting point and help define what we do and how we do it. They underlie the passion that drives us to be better and different. They allow the freedoms of our entrepreneurial organization, where people are empowered to make decisions, to make a difference with their ideas and hard work, to find solutions and challenge traditional ways of doing things.

Integrity. We conduct all business with the highest standards of honesty and fairness; we can be trusted.

Enjoyment. We believe work should be fun and intrinsically satisfying; if we are not enjoying ourselves, we are doing something wrong.

Uniqueness. We must be different from and more progressive than all other construction companies; we stand for something.

Ever Forward. We believe in continual self-initiated change, improvement, learning and the advancement of standards for their own sake.

Address	1450 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063, United States
Phone	+1 650-474-1450
Website	https://www.dpr.com/

More shipping container homes in California:
 

Autodesk Shipping Container Conference Room, San Francisco, California

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

Office in 40 ft Shipping Container Covered with Mirrored Aluminum Panels, Belgium

Architects create container offices in Belgium. One is in the center of Westouter and the other in a rural area surrounded by nature.

Floor plans

About TOOP architectuur

Architects: TOOP architectuur
Containers: 1 x 40 ft
Area: 36 m²
Year: 2019
Location: Westouter, Belgium
Photographs: Tim Van De Velde

The architecture studio TOOP Architectuur needed two new offices in Westouter, Belgium. One in the city center and the other on a rural site close to the mountains of the region.

In the search for an economical work, TOOP professionals chose to invest in shipping containers. The two structures, while maintaining a visual identity for the offices, preserve unique characteristics designed for the place where they were installed.

The first was designed for the city center and has a huge sliding window that reflects and enlarges the garden around it. While the second office in shipping container is covered with mirrored aluminum panels with the intention of disappearing into the landscape.

The two spaces are called 'architectural laboratories' and form the intellectual heart of the office. There, visitors and staff can work together and be inspired by the materials, the surroundings and each other.

The common element that joins the two offices is the interior design that works for both the city environment and the rural area. Covered with low-cost red plywood, which appears as a building material and not as a visual element, architects show visitors the possibility of doing interesting things with accessible materials.

Floor plans

About TOOP architectuur

VISION

Designing on a human scale, to add experience, based on the environment.

We design architecture on the scale of its users. This means that we try to create spaces that people feel good about. We mainly want to add experience. We also graft our buildings on their surroundings. Just like a biotope, a building has an "architope".

Each project is preceded by extensive research that focuses on the scale of the environment, the shape of the building, the organization, the materiality, down to the smallest architectural detail. A collaboration with the client is created in which we question his wishes and look for the characteristics of the place in order to arrive at an all-encompassing architectural simple answer. In this way, every project gets or retains an individuality and identity.

By having an office in an urban context on the one hand and in a landscape environment on the other, this forces us to offer other architectural answers or to add social layers in the projects. But above all, this strengthens the architectural vocabulary, which contributes to the fact that certain architectural solutions can provide a surprising experience in a different context.

AWARDS / PUBLICATIONS

2020Archdaily, Dezeen, Designboom, Architectural Digest, COTOOP offices
ATV Wonen, WISTIK library and nursery
Belgian Building Awards: Build 2 Work: Nomination
Belgian Building Awards: Rookie of the year: Nomination
I'm going to build and renovate, no 428, p. 196 & 204, project COTOOP + project WISTIK
Innovate.in.architecture 10 Wienerberger, p. 60-63, project WISTIK

2019Archdaily.com, WISTIK Library and Kindergarten
Selection list of promising designers by Ghent city architect
Shop Design Awards: laureate 2nd place project TRACEY JONES category Fashion store
Shop Design Awards: laureate 2nd place project JEAN category Food store
I'm going to build and renovate, no 417, p. 12-13, architect portrait TOOP

2018 Bitubel Awards: Winner public price category Private home
Bitubel Awards: Honorable mention professional jury category Private home
Belgian Building Awards: Rookie of the year: Nomination
Tendency TV, CASWES house, symbiosis with the environment
Renoscripto, No. 94, p. 119, TRACEY JONES: shop as an experience space
Architectura.be, From dilapidated house to hip fashion boutique
Architectura.be, Compact and creative BEN home in Waasmunster
La Libre, Immo essentielle, no. 155, p. 4-9, La bonne échelle

2017 Renoscripto, No. 88, p. 46-49. Dining in a pleasant, renovated setting
Dezeen.com, TOOP Architecture arrangements timber and concrete house
Archdaily.com, CASWES house
Divisare.com, TOOP architecture

2016Venuez Hospitality Awards Belgium 2016, Best Design, Nomination
New Places To Be, 2016 edition, p. 83. Vinke
Venuez, No. 35, p. 83-87, restaurant Vinke
Architectura.be, TOOP architecture turns old building into a classy restaurant

TEAM

Jens Theuwen (architect business manager)
Laurent Temmerman (architect business manager)
Tjørven Rappelet
Aleksandra Bem

Email	info@toop.be
Website	https://www.toop.be/
Laurent Temmerman
Address	Poststraat 91, 9160 Lokeren, Belgium
Phone	0478/60 81 11
Email	laurent@toop.be
Jens Theuwen
Address	Casselstraat 9, 8954 Westouter, Belgium
Phone	0474/29 15 61
Email	jens@toop.be

Office in 40 ft Shipping Container Covered with Mirrored Aluminum Panels, Belgium