Shipping Container Home construction has become one of the biggest home and office construction trends globally.Since 2005 shipping containers began to appear in many news stories in the U.S., Canada, UK, Netherlands, China, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Europe. Shipping container construction has become popular for not only homes, but for offices, hotels, student housing, safe rooms, and emergency shelters.

Lemons To Lemonade

The original interest began when the world realized that shipping containers were stacking up in the ports of every major city in the world. In the United States alone the estimate was nearly 1 million in 2005. After much publicity and interest,the total in the U.S. is said to have dropped to about 500,000 by the end of 2007. Similar decreases have been seen inmany other countries also.

It is well known that the rapid growth of manufacturing in China and the global thirst by virtually country for the lower priced, high technology products from China has given to happier consumers and lower prices globally, but the side effect hasbeen the one-way shipping of all the containers bringing the products from China.

Through the efforts of many designers, builders and eco organizations, the surplus of shipping containers from China has diminished greatly. The result of two years of publicity and awareness has stimulated a growing trend to construct housing, offices, and apartments using the base of the standard Shipping Container. Much of my statistics and information have come from the LA Port Authority, ISBU Association International, Bob Vila, and the Green Mechanical Council who are one of the main organizers of EcoBuild America. The exposure of the problem, combined with the incredible strength and ease of shipping container based construction has truly turned the problem into one of the fastest growing building trends globally.