Architecture

Shipping containers and silos house students at Mill Junction

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The Mill Junction student accommodation is based in Newtown, Johannesburg (Photo: Citiq)
South African property developer Citiq has provided us with a timely reminder that shipping containers continue to be relevant in architecture (Photo: Citiq)
The renovation took place in Newtown, Johannesburg (Photo: Citiq)
Construction took a year (Photo: Citiq)
The student accommodation is low-cost, but in a prime spot of the city (Photo: Citiq)
The rooftop has also been astro-turfed and is said to offer excellent views of the city (Photo: Citiq)
The Mill Junction project comprises almost 10 stories based in disused silos (Photo: Citiq)
An additional four floors of shipping containers have been stacked atop the structure (Photo: Citiq)
Some thought went into making Mill Junction as sustainable as possible (Photo: Citiq)
The accommodation contains 375 individual apartments (Photo: Citiq)
Not everyone's a fan, and Citiq acknowledges that the build has drawn its fair share of both praise and criticism from locals (Photo: Citiq)
There are also common areas such as study rooms, communal kitchens, a library, gym and snooker room (Photo: Citiq)
A typical student bedroom (Photo: Citiq)
A typical student bedroom (Photo: Citiq)
The rooftop has also been astro-turfed and is said to offer excellent views of the city (Photo: Citiq)
The accommodation contains 375 individual apartments, as well as common areas (Photo: Citiq)
The Mill Junction student accommodation is based in Newtown, Johannesburg (Photo: Citiq)
The interior decor is bright and colorful (Photo: Citiq)
There are also common areas such as study rooms, communal kitchens, a library, gym and snooker room (Photo: Citiq)
The interiors are clean, but basic (Photo: Citiq)
A snooker room (Photo: Citiq)
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South African property developer Citiq has recently completed the renovation of unused grain silos in Newtown, Johannesburg, into low-cost – and rather unique-looking – student accommodation, which also features multi-colored shipping containers to the top and side.

The Mill Junction project comprises 10 stories based in disused silos, which have had windows cut into the facade, and an additional four floors of shipping containers stacked atop the silos to increase available space. Even more of the metal boxes are affixed to the side of the building, too. In all, there's 375 apartments, plus common areas such as study rooms, communal kitchens, a library, and gym. The rooftop has been astro-turfed and is said to offer excellent views of the city.

The renovation took place in Newtown, Johannesburg (Photo: Citiq)

Some thought went into making Mill Junction as sustainable as possible, and heat pumps for hot water production, motion-sensor-activated energy-efficient lighting, and double-glazed windows were all installed. Citiq reckons that these steps have cut power consumption by up to 50 percent when compared to a typical building, though no figures have been made available to back these claims up.

Providing the usual pitfalls typical to shipping container-based architecture have been handled (solar heat gain and inadequate insulation, for example), in this author's opinion, the Mill Junction development makes a nice addition to the city's skyline. Not everyone's a fan though, and Citiq acknowledges that the build has drawn its fair share of both praise and criticism from locals.

Source: Citiq via Design Boom

View gallery - 20 images
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6 comments
ChairmanLMAO
I like the trampoline up top thats a nice selling feature!
Dennis Baer
PJ O'Roarke once observed that "You can't stack drunk people". Hi-Rise buildings for student populations will always have a few safety problems......
Gregg Eshelman
Nice concept but the colors are ghastly. If the exterior had a decent paint job there'd be less criticism.
Clinton Wong
Personally, if the silos are painted brown and the containers are painted with tree leaves patterns, the whole thing would look like a giant tree and would look less industrial and more artistic.
JSSFB
In the hot African sun I would think that the containers would heat up far too much, and I must admit I am not happy with the look, it just not look like a nice area to live, but it is for students!!!!!!!
Mia H
@JSSFB - 'hot African sun' - Africa is a pretty big continent and South Africa is furtherest south giving it some really nice weather - the sun is not the same everywhere. I lived 20 years in Johannesburg, and have been in Perth Australia for 10 years, and I would easily say that the sun in Perth is far more intense. It gets pretty hot in summer in Joburg but it's not like Saraha desert style heat stroke. Regardless it probably doesn't take much sun to make a container uncomfortable so hopefully insulation and cooling solutions are in place.