PAPER NAME :

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN MSC PROGRAMME YEAR 2013 ARCHITECTURE &HOUSING ARC 609 Presented by : ABDA ABDELHAMIED MOHAMMED Supervised by : DR. AHMED ABD- ALLAH

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

Introduction :

Methodology:
review of literatures supporting or critiquing this method of approach is examined.The paper identied that the intended housing typology to be studied is Medium-Rise Housing (MRH). After that the paper identies the various parameters on which the conventional MRH and it equivalent Container Housing are based. These parameters are: Engineering Details :structural stability incorporation of utilities (i.e. electricity, water supply, waste management, etc.) response of raw material to some natural disasters (e.g. typhoon, oods, earthquake, etc.) Thermal Comfort insulation methods alterations needed to make it more responsive in terms of natural ventilation Alteration Issues: methods and tools needed in making alterations

ever been for temporary accommodation needs, for example, storage, make-shift shops, emergency shelters and site oces. However, this concept of using shipping containers as modular building components in architecture and green prefabricated home building designs is still foreign to building practitioners and residents in third world contries . While it is uncertain where the concept of Container Housing originated or who rst thought of recycling shipping containers into structural shells of livable units, the fact remains that at present, it is a concept widely canvassed worldwide. Numerous examples may be found of utilizing this material as a stand-alone livable unit or used in combination as a Medium-Rise Building. Advocates of utilizing this material as building block for construction have enumerated its positive qualities. However, it is important to note that shipping containers, as a livable space, is not a perfect material, particularly with its responsiveness to the weather changes.

Most shipping container architecture conversions have how-

Research Question :
The study investigates whether Container Housing can be a solution to the housing needs of urban- poor settings. this is carried out through a comparison with conventional Medium-Rise Housing . Keywords: Medium-Rise Housing, shipping containers, urban poor housing

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Shipping Container Types & Sizes

Size 8ft shipping container 10ft shipping container 20ft shipping container 40ft shipping container Length 8ft (2.43m) 9ft - 10in (2.99 m) 20ft (6.06m) 40ft (12.2m) Width 7ft (2.20m) 8ft (2.44m) 8ft (2.44m) 8ft (2.44m) Height 7ft 6in (2.27m) 8ft 6in (2.59m) 8ft 6in (2.6m) 8ft 6in (2.6m)

Advantages:
Strength and durability: containers are largely made of steel, aluminium,Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic or reinforced wood. Modular: ISO Containers possess an arithmetic relationship. Transportable: they are the core of the intermodal system of transport. Availability: containers are practically everywhere. On the other hand, imbalance of trade could contribute to the shortage or surplus of them depending on country to country and city to city. Cost: due to their mass production new and used shipping containers are relatively cheap.

Disadvantages
Temperature: low insulation: Containers in their standard form are prone to condensation. Labour: cutting steel requires specialised workers and sometimes residential contractors are not used to using special machinery such as cranes. Construction site: steel boxes are generally better suited to be in at than sloping sites. Building permits: most of the time buildings that use cargo containers are evaluated as non-standard structures which mean more paperwork. Cargo spillages: many of them carry toxic substances. Solvents: some solvents and sealant are used that can be harmful for human health.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

National and international examples of shipping containers buildings:
Numerous national and international examples of container housing have been analyzed for this study, some of which are discussed below.

Example one : SALAM CARDIAC CENTRE -SUDAN

To build a rst-rate Centre for cardiac surgery in a climate such as Sudans, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius most of the year and frequent sandstorms, the structure must be designed sand-proof, and heat-proof. Innovative cooling, insulation and ltration technologies utilised at the Salam Centre allowed decreasing signicantly the energetic consumption

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Example two : CONTAINER CITY 2 , LONDON

An icon higly published and promoted,container city may be one of the most important uildings madeof steel shipping trade boxes. As can be seen in pictures, steel posts were added in order to bear the projection of the unit (yellow and pale blue containers) on both sides of the building; the same might have been done for the second level in order to avoid stresses and torsion due to wind loads.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Example three : Family residence house , France

The crossbox house is a private residence built from four containers with a green garden at the top of it ..Utilizes drywall and cladding to camouage the industrial skeleton.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Example four : Guest house , San ANTONIO

Located in the San Antonio artists community, the house, made from a standard 40-foot shipping container (320 sq ft), stands in the backyard of renovated warehouse where the client lives. The blue-painted container is equipped with heating and air-conditioning systems and its roof is lled with plants to help keep temperatures down inside the building.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Comparison between the conceptual container housing unit and the conventional medium-rise housing unit
All information listed in the succeeding tables are based on all document studied,

1. Engineering Details

Conventional Medium-Rise Housing Unit

Container Housing Unit

Structural Components Floor Level

Requires sound structural design 5 stories high

Incorporation Of Utilities

Pipelines are concealed beneath floor and wall finishes

Response To Natural Disasters

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

Requires good footing Needs to keep the posts and beams of the container intact May be stacked up to 8 or 9 liveable stories Usually stacked 4 or 5 stories high Pipelines are either concealed by double walls or segregated to the exterior Performs well in hurricane and earthquake-prone areas Designed for harsh environments or circumstances brought by sea voyage Does not respond well with ground moisture hence the need to be elevated

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

2. Thermal Comfort
Insulation Methods Natural Ventilation Issues Insulation Methods Natural Ventilation Issues

Conventional MediumRise Housing Unit No insulation Conventional Mediumrequired/applied Rise Unit cross Housing Promotes ventilation No insulation required/applied Promotes cross ventilation Conventional Medium-Rise Housing Unit

Container Housing Unit

Requires insulation Container Housing Unit

Requires insulation

Container Housing Unit

3. Alteration Issues

Conventional Medium-Rise Housing Unit

Pre-cutting or initial Container Unit be alteration Housing of units may done in factory for a faster & cheaper option (mass production) or initial Pre-cutting If on oxy-acetylene alteration ofsite, units may be welding / cutting are done in factory for a used faster & cheaper option (mass production) If on site, oxy-acetylene welding / cutting are used

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Comparison Summary:

Engineering Details

Thermal Comfort

Alteration Issues

for a 5-storey building, the 2 housing types exhibit similar characteristics container housing units only requires the additional precautionary measure of elevating the unit above ground not only for flood reasons but also to keep the ground moisture from corroding the material while both may be insulated by the same means (i.e. foam insulation), the conventional unit do not actually need this insulation while the container housing unit requires it the container housing unit have the option to be prefabricated for a faster, more exact, and cheaper construction (for mass production)

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

As demonstrated by the tables above, based on the categories on which the 2 housing types were investigated, Container Housing is a feasible solution for Low-Cost Housing in the third world or at least, it performs as well as that of a Conventional Medium-Rise Housing unit. Also, analysis from the information gathered through the study indicates that the strongest feature of this type of material are: (1) its capacity for speedy construction not only through prefabrication but also through the method of construction (i.e. lifting and stacking the units like Lego blocks) (2) its capacity to be easily dismantled and transferred to a dierent site. However, since the study done was mostly a documentary analysis, it is recommended that further studies be made, particularly that in gauging the actual performance of the unit through the construction of a prototype unit. This will give a clearer insight on the performance of a Container Housing unit by generating actual or empirical data. Also, to better gauge the eectiveness of this type of material for medium-term occupancy, structural testing of the unit may be required to arrive at a clearer data on the number of years that a shipping container may still be considered as structurally sound as a livable unit after it has been classied as being no longer seaworthy. Furthermore, additional studies are needed to determine how receptive local regulations and building ocials are to this type of construction as well as to what particular or additional rules and regulations are needed for this material and type of construction.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013

THE POTENTIALS OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES IN THE THIRD WORLD

Refrences:
Shipping Containers Housing Benets. http://www.shipping-containerhousing. com. Shipping Container Standard Dimensions. http://www.shipping-containerhousing. com. Modular Builders using ISO Shipping Containers as Base Building Module. (Copyright 2002-2010). http://www.residentialshippingcontainerprimer.com. Howard, B.C. Amazing Homes and Oces Built from Shipping Containers. http://www.thedailygreen.com. Fuller, M. (2006). Building a Container House. http://www.bobvila.com.

UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ARC 609 YEAR 2013