A total of 20 recycled shipping containers have been used to create a hotel and office building situated in a winery among 145 acres (58 hectares) of rolling vineyards in California. The container-based hotel rooms feature an unusual design centered around a raised roof area that's meant to improve space, ventilation, and light inside.
The project is named Geneseo Inn and was created by Echotech Design, in collaboration with fabricator Crate Modular, plus the owners of the winery it's located in, Steve Cass and Ted Plemons.
It has seven standard hotel rooms, each of which is made from two 20-ft (6-m)-long shipping containers joined to a 12-ft (3.6-m)-tall "cathedral ceiling" structure at the center that serves as an entrance.
"The buildings are raised dramatically above the vineyard on multiple steel piloti to create a covered parking area underneath, and enhance views over the surrounding wine country," explains Ecotech Design. "A 12-ft (3.6-m)-high 'cathedral ceiling' clerestory with multiple, operable windows enhances natural ventilation and daylighting to conserve energy and support healthier interiors. In addition, the clerestory elevates the ceiling in order to visually open up the lower, adjacent container spaces."
The interior of each hotel room includes a bedroom area, living area, and a bathroom, as well as a small deck at the front and another at the rear. Additionally, the project features one larger hotel suite consisting of a 40-ft (12-m) container and a 20-ft container, while an office made up from four 20-ft containers is also nearby.
The colors of the buildings match the wine labels used at the winery and other materials used include locally-sourced recycled Corten steel, glass, cement board, and recycled decking. Recycled wood from the winery and assorted agricultural structures was also used to create the ceiling and floor. The roofs of the containers are designed to accept solar power and greenery at a future date and the containers also sport insulation to mitigate their poor thermal performance – always a major concern with these shipping container-based projects.
The Geneseo Inn is now open for bookings, with standard rooms starting at US$325 per night.
Source: Ecotech Design
