shipping-container-homes-white-paper-2014-12-10

Alternative Housing: The Shipping Container HomeM. Martinez-Garciawithout taking two lanes of traffic on a road.Rogers explained that while escorts are stillrequired for the move of a 12’ wide home,going any wider than that makes moving verydifficult and expensive. Transportability isalso at the center of Meka Modular BuildingsWorldwide products. Meka housing productsare designed “to be the size of ISO shippingcontainers (US and foreign pat Pending) andthus can be transported anywhere there isroad,” according to Michael De Jong of Meka.The Residential Sol 480 modular home (SeeFigure 10), for instance, is a 480-square-footone-bedroom/one-bath home which can beinstalled and move-in ready in about a week’stime. Described by De Jong as “where Ikeameets Lego” Meka buildings are built to meetspecific local requirements and can be safelytransported on the roads, overseas, and bytrain, making this product a “global housingsolution.”What the Future HoldsNAR asked real estate professionals JeffWhite and Michael Rastatter, as well asarchitects and designers Ada Tolla, MichaelDe Jong and Travis Price, what the futureholds for these housing options. Whiteforesees more synergy between containerbasedengineering design and modularhousing. Rastatter’s vision of the futureechoes those of Jeff White. “I think containerhousing will continue to grow as a greenbuilding trend and establish a strong presencein the smart-home/modular/prefab industry,”said Rastatter. “The hope is that consumersbecome better educated and realize that thistype of building technology works to mitigatelong-term cost increases and environmentalissues while stabilizing its surroundings inthe community.”Tolla envisions the emergence of specializedfactories that “transform containers executingsophisticated design – smart in theirefficiency, energetically savvy, tight in theircarbon footprint and yet beautifularchitecture.” De Jong “foresees that in thenear future we will deliver cost savings due toengineering solutions (installation, energyconsumption efficiencies) combined withpurchase financing to offer a global housingsolution which will change the traditionalmethod of building construction.” De Jongadds, “Our method will be seen more as aproduct rather than a commodity wherepricing and quality are uniform andtransparent.” As architect Price sees it, “Prefabrication and mass customization arecontinuing by necessity and more importantly,they have become the romantic vision of the21st century. Much like the smart phoneappendage we all enjoy, these innovations willbecome the expected and enjoyed norm. Thetipping point is here. It is not a technicalrevolution as most of the components are notnew. It’s a cultural evolution!”Opinions of city planners and consumersremain mixed about container homes. Localzoning in most instances does not addresscontainer housing. Modifications such as apermanent foundation and pitched roof(Downs, 2014) may be required to adhere tolocal building code if permitted at all. As JeffWhite experienced with Sarah House,intangible resources such as time, persistence,and an abundance of patience need to befactored into container house projects. Onthe other hand, a container housing projectcould result in tax abatement. Rastatterexplained, “We followed Enterprise's GreenCommunities guidelines in the design/buildprocess, therefore the project is eligible forPage 15 of 22