Rise | We've Done the Research
How to Make a Shipping Container Home Truly Sustainable
In 1987, a man named Phillip Clark filed a patent with the idea of transforming a few used shipping containers into a habitable building. While the concept was received with a few laughs, today, thousands of shipping container homes worldwide. From shopping malls in New Zealand to even a Starbucks coffee house made from upcycled shipping containers, this type of architecture is quickly gaining wide approval and popularity.
The Notion of Sustainability Behind Shipping Container Homes
Shipping container architecture is usually labeled as a green, sustainable, or eco-friendly form of building. It focuses on recycling or upcycling used shipping containers that would otherwise be nothing more than a discarded pile of steel taking up space in some ports worldwide. Also, by recycling these steel structures, there is less demand for brick, wood, and other building materials. This subsequently lowers the total embodied energy cost associated with a home. So if you're thinking of getting a 'new' container, think again - more on that in a bit.
While using recycled materials is a fundamental aspect of sustainable architecture, several aspects are related to shipping container homes that need to be revisited. From toxic chemicals in the original flooring of most shipping containers to an enormous amount of mined steel that makes up your home's structure to inadequate insulation capacity, shipping container homes, like any architecture, need to be planned accordingly to achieve their maximum potential sustainability.
Table of Contents
What Chemicals Need to Be Removed From Shipping Containers Before Construction?
Shipping containers are designed to endure a life at sea. Since most cargo ships have issues with rodents that live as stowaways aboard the ship, the wooden flooring in shipping containers is usually heavily treated with pesticides to deter these unwanted guests. Steel walls and roofs of shipping containers usually contain paints incorporating heavy metals such as phosphorus and chromate. These chemicals help protect the steel from the steady spray of saltwater, which can corrode the steel containers.
One recent study showed that when shipping containers arrive in a harbor, up to 20% of these containers contain volatile toxic substances that are substantially higher than the established exposure limit values and that these volatile, off-gassing chemicals can lead to serious health risks for dock workers, customs inspectors, and others. The types of gasses accumulating inside these airtight containers also depend on what is being shipped. However, it is common for dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde, styrene, benzene, or toluene.
When transforming a shipping container into a livable home, one of the first tasks should be ripping out the pesticide-laced flooring and taking measures to cover or encapsulate the toxic paints. Trying to remove the toxic paint will most likely lead to more off-gassing and dangerous dust that poses serious health risks when inhaled. Instead, using a non-toxic sealing primer will help encapsulate the chemicals and block the off-gassing of hazardous, volatile organic compounds.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
