(World Economic Forum) The “humble” shipping container popped up on the radar for the World Economic Forum, in an August 2019 blog post about promising applications in the UK.

Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects, according to the blog, has obtained approval to construct a series of homes out of the ubiquitous containers. This “cargotecture” project is aimed at providing cheap, social housing using recycled materials. These microhomes would have all the basic amenities, which includes a green roof with sedum, a kind of succulent with shallow root systems and minimal watering requirements. The buildings will be constructed for social rent, a practice where rents are tied to local incomes and housing costs. So a one-bedroom social rental would goes for a little over £300 (~$365).

REACH Homes, a community interest company, is planning to build 600 shipping container homes in Sheffield — each costing as little as £35,000 (~$42,500). The informative blog post goes on and concludes that whatever your interest in container homes, you will probably need to convince your local building authority to get the permits. Read More