Shipping containers can be a environmentally friendly and cost effective housing solution by reducing the amount of building materials required in construction as well as re-cycling what is essentially scrap metal and thereby reducing waste and carbon emissions. Disused containers are no longer sea-worthy but are still structurally sound. The modular nature of containers makes them adaptable to a variety of design possibilities from single homes to apartment buildings.
Using a standard 40” shipping container as the starting point, augmented is utilised to visualise the transformation of four containers into a house enabling the viewer to visualise a number of design possibilities through the use of augmented reality markers and BuildAR software.
The CHK container kit home by Lot-ek Architects inspired the initial design as it uses only four containers and maximises living space. The physical model is built to resemble four unmodified shipping containers joined together. The AR markers are magnetic and as they are attached to the model sequentially the design progresses allowing the viewer to visualise the model with new additions to the house such as a roof, wooden deck, exterior cladding and landscaping.
The spiral staircase and fire station doors are recycled components, which were added from Google’s 3D Warehouse.
