There are over 25 million shipping containers in the world.  The vast majority of them are used actively in transporting cargo via ships, trains, trucks and sometimes planes.  More and more frequently, these ISO containers have found other, unique and creative uses.  People and business are modifying new and used shipping containers into everything from portable offices to security fences.

Here are some cool container projects that we have seen while out and about in the Midwest.  We will continue to post them as discovered.

Fire Training Facility. A fire department on the Illinois side of St. Louis used four 40’ standard shipping containers to build this training facility.

Container House This is a home in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City that was built using shipping containers.  This photo shows the home under construction in 2009.

Portable Office Here’s a photo of the inside of one of our portable offices.  Great for temporary uses such as construction sites, fireworks stand sales/administrative offices, guard shack offices, etc.  These can be custom built to suit anyone needs.

According to Wikipedia, below are some other creative and interesting uses for shipping containers.  Have a container project you’d like to consider?  Give us a call, we’re always looking for new and exciting container projects to work on!

Other uses

Shipping containers have also been used as

• Press Boxes
• Emergency hurricane shelters for thoroughbred horses
• Concession Stands
• Fire Training Facility
• Military Training Facility
• Emergency shelters
• School buildings
• Urban homes
• Rural homes
• Apartment and office buildings
• Artists’ studios
• Stores
• Moveable exhibition spaces on rails
• Telco hubs
• Bank vaults
• Medical clinics
• Radar stations
• Shopping malls
• Sleeping rooms
• Recording Studios
• Abstract art
• Transportable factories
• Data centers (in the form of Project Blackbox)
• Experimental labs
• Clandestine Cannabis gardens
• Combatant Temporary Containment (ventilated)
• Bathrooms
• Showers
• Workshops
• Intermodal sealed storage on ships, trucks, and trains
• House Foundations on unstable seismic zones
• Elevator/stairwell shafts
• Block roads and keep protesters away, as photo journalized during the Pakistan Long March ^[7]
• Hotels
• Construction trailers
• Mine site accommodations
• Exploration camp