shipping containers

Shipping containers continue to provide inspiration for architects worldwide. The latest example of this is the Klabu, by MVRDV, which is an easily transportable and solar-powered sports club for refugees.

Most of us are familiar with the vest-clad beagle that hunts for illegal fruits and plants in the travelers' luggage at airports. Now, a species of giant pouched rat has been trained to fulfill a similar role in finding illegal wildlife products.

Shipping containers continue to inspire architects and designers. This example comes from Backcountry Containers, which has created a container-based sauna and plunge pool that can be easily installed in a backyard.

Transporting goods by inland waterways can be a dirty business, but an EU-backed project is looking to clean up its act – launching a container vessel powered by green hydrogen on a major cargo route between the Netherlands and Germany.

The River Forest Lookout puts shipping container-based architecture on a pedestal – literally. It takes the form of a fire lookout tower-style design that consists of two containers raised 60 ft above the forest floor in rural Georgia.

The MOT, by Ukraine's Balbek Bureau, offers an interesting take on shipping container-based design. It plays to the strengths of the metal boxes by creating a temporary art gallery that can be packed up and moved to a new location when required.

Designers never seem to tire of using shipping containers as a source of inspiration. This tiny house from UnContained Dreams is an interesting take on space-saving interior design that squeezes a home for two into one of the simple metal boxes.

Japanese company PowerX is moving ahead with its strange plan to build a "mobile power station" in the form of a 140-meter (460-ft) electric "battery tanker," which will carry 241 megawatt-hours of renewable energy across the sea over short distances.

RSDA offers an impressive example of shipping-container-based architecture with its Container House. Located in rural India, the project involved modifying shipping containers to create a pair of remarkably attractive and light-filled homes.

It's easy to think of shipping containers as simple metal boxes, that can't be improved. The Unit One container, however, is claimed to be lighter, stronger and more energy-efficient than others, plus it uses multiple sensors to monitor its cargo.

The Porter is one of the most ambitious container-based houses we've seen in a while. Bob's Containers has maximized living space by installing a garage-style door that opens it up to the outside, and added features like a rooftop deck with hot tub.

There are some situations in which extra office space is temporarily required, but a big move into a larger building would be overkill. That's where the ootbox comes in, as it's a rentable portable office made out of an upcycled shipping container.