rethinking design - Spatial Design@Massey

ethinking design
Adam Kalkin: Shipping Container Prefabs.
Shipping containers can be used to create innovative sustainable designs. The 20 to 40 foot
shipping containers are today being converted into liveable homes. Adam Kalkin has
designed a home made out of shipping containers, which can be seen in his Quik House
project. The Quik House is a cheap an affordable home, which cost Kalkin $76000 to build.
These shipping containers are a cheap and sustainable solution for houses. The
prefabricated containers have a strong structural foundation and can be manipulated and
stacked on top of each other and then “wedged into small plots and stacked up to nine units
high” (Treehugger, 2005). Shipping containers are easy to transport and to construct. They
can be transported by a train, boat or by trucks (Treehugger, 2005). Shipping containers are a
design that is appropriate to the environment. They are low in cost and easily transported.
They require minimal material as they are prefabricated.
Shigeru Ban: Paper Loghouse.
Shigeru Ban created the Paper Loghouse as relief architecture in Kobe after an earthquake
destroyed hundreds of homes. The owners of the destroyed homes had no option but to live
in tents. Ban's solution to the disaster was an affordable and simple idea to homes that
anyone within the community could build. The foundation of the Paper Loghouse was
constructed out of beer cases that were filled with sand. The walls were constructed out of
paper tubes and the ceiling and roof were made from tent fabric. During the summer the roof
and ceiling were divided to create air ventilation through the space. In the winter they
remained attached, to create warmth within the space. It is a project that is beneficial towards
the environment, as it requires minimal materials, is low in transportation and was quickly
constructed to help during a crisis (Designboom, 1995).