I hadn't thought about this - but it's kind of strange a resource of this type seems to be going somewhat unused.
Making Light: Shipping containers
The standard 20 and 40 foot cargo containers seem to be good for from 5 to 10 international trips. Then, they're used for in-country shipping or just stacked up and pretty much abandoned.
However, there's a LOT of designs out there to turn them into housing, either temporary or permanent. And with the concern (admittedly much less now than it was) about emergency housing in case of another Katrina-style event, it kind of makes you wonder why the government hasn't bought a lot of these, installed cheap windows and air conditioners, sliced a door in the side, put in a modicum of furniture, and stacked them for emergency use in case of disaster, instead of buying RV trailers by the thousand and letting them rot unused.
The containers themselves go for under $2 grand for a 40' model. Spray in foam insulation, cut window and door holes, do a bit of electric work and plumbing and put in a kitchenette, water heater, storage and bathroom, and you're looking at another $6-7k or so.
FEMA was paying $60k (according to CNN) for trailers with a lifespan of 18 months.
Of course, transportation might be an issue... but how much of one? You can figure that roads will still be there, or quickly rebuilt into an area. You can only drag one RV-style trailer per truck, so the number of vehicles needed would be the same. And this would be much sturdier housing, well able to ride out another hurricane if properly anchored.
Plus they could be stacked neatly, reducing storage area requirements many times.
So let's part it out. The container would go for (based on EBay prices) about $1700. Modifications and furniture would cost about $5, 6k each. A wall-mount heating and air-conditioner would likely cost about $500 each in lots of a thousand. Less than $10k, and you've got a 300 sq. ft. permanent shelter that's a heck of a lot sturdier than any trailer. Hook 3 around a covered patio, and you've got a semi-ranch style house. Admittedly, 900 sq. ft is a trifle small, but you could add on as needed.
Figure $10k per unit, and you're looking at about $1 billion for a hundred thousand units.
Chickenfeed, to the government. Which is likely why the idea hasn't seen the light of day yet... I'm surprised, though, that it HASN'T been implemented.
J.
Comments (2)
Also, if you load the containers with relief supplies you get double duty out of them. Load them up with water, food, blankets, fuel, generators, or anything else the disaster survivors need, put them on a truck and drive them to the disaster site.
Once you get to where ever the contents are needed you unload the goods out of the container, take the container off the truck and start setting it up for habitat duty.
Meanwhile, the truck deadheads back for another container full of relief supplies.
Simple, easy, efficient.
Obviously, the EPA or FEMA or HUD will have to find some reason to ban it.
otpu
Almost forgot, several containers could also be filled with medical equipment, beds, and supplies and driven to the disaster site to be set up as a emergency hospital. I believe the Red Cross actually tried to do this for Katrina but the Louisana authorities wouldn't let them into the state. They ended up in Mississippi as I recall.
OFCRS
Posted by otpu | October 17, 2007 1:13 AM
Posted on October 17, 2007 01:13
I believe it was the History Channel that had this as part of their 'Modern Marvels'. Indeed in the UK, Netherlands and a few places in the US these shipping containers are being turned into modular homes and apartment/office buildings. They do have a strcutural stacking limit (I believe 6 stories if well stacked, using cross-stacking for bracing), but beyond that they are well designed to modern life. You don't know such a thing is a shipping container as it has doors, windows and such. A brightly lit redesigned interior with insulation, wiring and plumbing all serve to change the internal atmosphere.
These are being viewed as a good way to quickly change older, run down urban areas: level a building, rough in the utilities base and then just start driving the trucks up and stack the containers. One place went up in HK doing that in under a week, and provides a large amount of office space.
If you look at Afghanistan, you can see folks living in shipping containers already, although on the poor 'last shelter' concept. In the Netherlands built-in flotation sections allow these homes to be not only on the waterfront, but on the water, itself.
If you can get to a place by rail or truck, this is the perfect solution for quick housing that is not ugly. One building looked like it was made of Legos, with the color-schema. Yet for apartments you can tell your level, section and tonal type and quickly find your way around.
Posted by ajacksonian | October 17, 2007 6:59 AM
Posted on October 17, 2007 06:59