Unique and Creative Ways to Reuse Standard Shipping Container in 2022
The standard shipping container may look ordinary on the outside but there are many creative uses for it. They can even be used to help with environmental sustainability!
We take a look at the unique and creative ways that standard shipping container have been reused around the world.
1) Visitor Area
Urbantainer @ The National Theatre Company of Korea, South Korea Photo: Kyunsub Shin
The National Theatre Company of Korea commissioned Urbantainer to create a visitor area to serve as a social space within the grounds. It is made up of separate containers with 12 metre column–less spaces to accommodate large gatherings. The high ceilings with natural light makes it spacious and welcoming.
2) Hotels
In Singapore, shipping container hotels are increasingly in trend. Especially with the increase in demand for hotels for staycation, shipping container hotels present an exciting and unique opportunity to unwind.
For example, the SG Hotel on Wheels (SHOW) is made of 10 standard shipping containers and is Singapore’s first roving container hotel. The hotel rooms come in two configurations– 20-footer rooms and 40-footer high cube container rooms. They are equipped with a living room space, kitchenette and an adjoining bedroom.
SG Hotel on Wheels (SHOW) @ Singapore. Photo:CNA Lifestyle
3) Fish Farms
In Singapore, where majority of our food is imported, producing agriculture locally is crucial so that we can gradually reduce our reliance on food imports, in case there may be disruptions in food supply. In a bid to build up our nation’s agri–food industry, Singapore is working towards a 30 by 30 initiative, where we aim to produce 30% of our food needs locally and sustainably by 2030. However, given our constraints on land and resources, farmers have to turn to technology and other innovations to push for an increase in production.
One example we can consider is sustainable fish farming. The Finland Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) uses converted shipping containers to develop a new fish farming method.
The Finland Natural Resources Institute, Finland Photo: Luke
4) Container for used Golf Balls
DP World is the top provider of supply chain solutions. The DP World Tour season saw a new concept rolled out to give used golf balls a new life. A unique shipping container made from a repurposed 20-foot shipping container. It was created to collect and redistribute used golf balls starting from the DP World Tour 2022. The container can house as many as 200,000 golf balls and will weigh around 12 tonnes as maximum.
DP World Tour Container Photo: Supplied
From there, it will visit six DP World Tour events. Fans, spectators, players and other partners can donate used and unwanted golf balls and also visit the container at other selected DP World Tour events, including the BMW PGA Championship. These golf balls are then sent to different organisations that are spearheading golf and pushing for it to grow all over the world. Through this campaign, DP World is helping to support golf from the grassroots level to develop more and increase awareness and popularity of the game.
DP World will also make use of real–time tracking technology to the container. This allows fans to follow the container’s journey between tournaments whether it is moving via rail, road or via sea.
5) Stadium
Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Stadium 974 was designed and built from recycled shipping containers and modular steel. It can seat up to 40,000 spectators and was designed by Spanish architect Fenwick Iribarren. The development of the stadium is the first of its kind, because it is the first demountable stadium in the history of the World Cup. Stadium 974 refers to the number of shipping containers used and it is also Qatar’s international dialing code.
Stadium 974, Qatar, Photo: Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy
Mohammed Al Mulla, Stadium 974’s precinct director, said: “The stadium is situated near Doha Port, Hamad International Airport and Doha Airport. It will be the first stadium fans see when they arrive in Qatar. In more ways than one, it can be regarded as a gateway to the country.
Stadium 974, Qatar, Photo: Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy
The director also added that the parts of the stadium can even be recycled after the tournament, making it relatively more environmentally friendly. On the same note, the design of the stadium also allows sea breezes to enter, so there is no need for air–conditioning either, unlike other stadiums.
