Cargo Container Architecture is becoming more popular globally. Not only is it economical, but it is also considered eco-friendly when empty shipping containers are reused as a structural element. It serves as a green alternative amidst the growing surplus of abandoned containers in shipyards.
What happens when containers are used for a high-end retail complex?
Dubai Box Park is a great example of that.
While driving in Jumeirah, right along Al Wasl Road not far from Safa Park is a 1.5-kilometer strip of insulated cargo containers artistically positioned to create a quirky and fun urban retail district.
Dubai Box Park
Dubai Box Park is one of Meraas Holdings' projects that opened in 2015. It's a mix of lively cafes, edgy cuisine, trendy boutiques, homeware shops, and a luxury boutique cinema called Roxy Cinemas.
- Developer: Meraas Holdings
- Site Area: 18,500 m2
- Type: Mixed-use
- Architect/ Designer: Developer's in-house design team - Studio M
- Lighting Design: Delta Lighting Solutions
- Lighting: Osram
Brightly lit and colorful, this chic and contemporary architecture focuses on the natural aesthetic of these shipping containers using the finest technology to achieve impressive detail and finishing.
They created different lighting scenes to emphasize the various textures of the containers.
More Pictures
My Take-away
One of the challenges in re-using shipping containers is ensuring it is habitable. Hazardous chemicals are present in the coating used on the containers as well as the pesticide applied on the interior wood floors. It is important to strip them bare before re-use. Moreover, with the harsh heat in the Middle East and its proximity to the sea, proper insulation and rustproofing are required.
The limitation in space also poses another challenge. A container comes in 40' and 20' lengths with standard widths and heights. One has to carefully plan how they're stacked to achieve the desired space planning while openings are cut using a fireman's saw or a torch.
Creating spaces with shipping containers must be as fun as playing lego. Dubai Box Park showed how our creativity knows no bounds.
Would you ever consider building your home with a shipping container?
Reference:
Inspired by my original post
ARC Lighting & Architecture : Box Park, UAE
Licht & Soehne Box Park
The Pros and Cons of Cargo Containers - Arch Daily