How to Make a Home Out of Shipping Containers

(Image courtesy of City Center Lofts)

Soon to rise up in the heart of one of Salt Lake City’s historic districts, is a condo project called City Center Lofts, designed by architect Adam Kalkin, to be the first mid-rise building in the U.S. built from international shipping containers.  In the mode of many European architects, Kalkin has experience designing a number of luxury as well as affordable homes out of shipping containers, and he is employing his expertise to help make this residential project one of the greenest in the State of Utah.  Taking a wholistic approach, the project team is focusing on sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.  The main green features within the building will be natural ventilation; no or low-VOC paints, sealants and adhesives; a high efficiency air-to-air heat exchanger and HEPA filtration; low-E windows; on-demand hot water heaters; a green roof; on-site bicycle storage; and most notably, construction from 50% recycled materials by weight, which is no small feat.  Another factor making City Center Lofts so progressive is that its central location makes it so pedestrian friendly, allowing residents convenient access to numerous neighborhood amenities as well as public transportation.

Please visit City Center Lofts for more information.

Why is it so Hard to Build a Small a House?

(Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company)

With the economy on the verge of a recession and the urgency to lessen environmental impact at an all-time high, it’s no wonder many people are turning to smaller homes. Marty Pieroni, a developer from Kuna, Idaho, has dealt with consumers that are seeking smaller spaces due to financial restrictions or just a need to simplify their lives. Although he signed a contract for 1,400 square foot houses with the City of Kuna, he recently requested to build 20 houses that were 1,250 square feet, 150 square feet less than his minimum. The City Council turned down the request, saying that they want to increase the value of housing in the area and attract buyers. Their fear is that Kuna would soon be known as a city with inexpensive starter homes that would deflate values of surrounding, established properties. However, Pieroni told them this wasn’t the case. He emphasized that with the help of sound material choices, a smaller house can appear aesthetically similar to a more traditional larger house, but with 695 square feet less space than the average house last year. And in using better quality and long-lasting materials, less maintenance would be required on the part of the owner, and ultimately environmental impact would decrease - even more so, with the integration of on-site solar, wind, and/or geothermal power.

What are the actual benefits of a smaller house, anyway? Quite simply, it is better for the environment and more economical at the same time, counter to the reflexive notion that all things green building-oriented are more expensive. Furthermore, a small house encourages simplified living, which results in less waste, less clutter, less use of electricity, and less water consumption. The less space that’s available for habitation, the less power is consumed for heating and cooling, therefore removing fewer overall resources from our ever depleting supply.

City of Kuna 

Small House Society

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

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Nicole Maccarone is an Ecolect Super Intern based in the East Coast office in Providence, RI.

All You Need is a Little Paint and Some Imagination

In the United States especially on the east cost, demolition of historic structures has become a very controversial topic, with many developers and communities clashing with very different perspectives and agendas. There’s a lot to be learned from experiments that other cities around the world are going through. The borough of Delfshaven located in Rotterdam is the second largest municipality (population wise) in the Netherlands. The buildings pictured above were (and still are) slated for demolition. The borough asked the well known Dutch artist, Florentijn Hofman to come up with a plan for the derelict block of buildings. His solution? Paint them bright blue! The catch is that the buildings will stay blue and intact until there’s a new plan for the area. Since this particular section of houses built in the early 20th century have been painted blue, the most unseen block in the city has become Rotterdam’s most photographed one. It provokes viewers to see the surrounding buildings and engage with the architecture but furthermore it moves them to decide what role the buildings have in the community. This project certainly puts the repercussions of demolition in perspective while attracting visitors who bring life back to the neighborhood while the future of the area is being planned. Who knows, maybe the buildings will be preserved as-is to continually liven the community, attracting painters, photographers and tourists to the unique spectacle.