What does one do with a sea container at the end of its productive life? Well, you just might be surprised at that answer. Housing!
NYC is looking to find innovative ways to deal with an acute housing shortage for the thousands of families left homeless by Superstorm Sandy. New York City and federal officials are pushing ahead with plans to develop a new line of temporary housing that could be rolled out quickly for future disasters. Those plans, city officials said, call for using shipping containers, or other types of modular units, that — unlike trailers — could be stacked high to maximize space in a city with little real estate to spare.
By the way, this is not a new idea! Cities like Amsterdam have been using containers for some time to deal with their housing shortage. I think it is a pretty amazing form of recycling!
The city’s disaster housing plan, which has been under development for five years would not affect those currently displaced by the storm. They have been scattered across the city in hotels, friends’ homes and vacant apartments.
City and federal officials plan to solicit proposals for the new disaster housing units next year, and to build a multistory prototype on a city-owned parking lot near the Brooklyn Bridge. About one-third of the $1.3 million project is being paid for by the city, and the rest by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Shipping containers are easily repurposed for this kind of housing because they are durable, plentiful and relatively inexpensive. The estimated cost for each converted container would be $50,000 to $80,000.
A typical shipping container — about 40 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 9 feet 6 inches tall — is large enough to serve as a self-contained apartment with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area. Two containers could be combined for larger families, and more containers could be stacked or grouped together for a neighborhood feeling.
The idea of using shipping containers originally came from a city-sponsored design contest — called “What If New York City” — that sought long-term disaster housing ideas; entries included proposals for dirigibles and barges, among other things.
If the prototype is successful, city officials said, arrangements can be made with suppliers to deliver them to the five boroughs immediately after a disaster. Once that crisis had passed, the units could then be taken apart and stored until the next time disaster struck.
Sound crazy? Check out some of the websites below. I think you might change your mind!
http://www.ecomagination.com/working-inside-the-box-shipping-container-buildings-catch-on
http://www.sgblocks.com/the-sg-blocks-advantage/better-for-the-environment/
http://www.seabox.com/personnelshelters.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/nyregion/new-york-city-plans-disaster-housing-project.html