A slowdown in consumption has created a new problem, a lot of shipping containers. Here are some ways they are being used in Five for Friday.

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

From World Cup stadium to housing, 5 ways to repurpose shipping containers

Nov 18, 2022

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Brent Jabbour (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor)

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented shipping crunch with consumption off the charts. But now the industry is left with an excess of shipping containers as demand for goods falls. Container depots are filling with the empty vessels, raising questions about what to do with these giant steel boxes. Here are some creative ways shipping containers are being repurposed in this week’s Five for Friday.

5. Stadiums

The World Cup is kicking off in Qatar and they have gotten creative with venues. The 40,000 seat Stadium 974 is constructed out of 974 shipping containers. The stadium can be disassembled and moved to another World Cup location if needed. Global sporting events like the Olympic Games and World Cup have faced criticism for their massive cost, which often results in state-of-the-art facilities being abandoned. This new way of constructing a massive arena could solve that problem in the future. Shipping containers are also being used to create 30,000 rooms for fans making the journey at a price of $203 per night.

4. Border wall

At 40 feet long and weighing nearly 9,000 pounds, shipping containers could make effective barriers. Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey instructed the state to use containers to fill openings in the wall at the southern border after claiming the federal government wasn’t doing enough to stop an influx of migrants. So far, Arizona has filled four gaps in Yuma County. The federal government has told Gov. Ducey to remove the containers, but to date, he has defied that order.

3. High-priced housing

Living in shipping container homes isn’t a brand new idea and now Vincennes Village on the south side of Chicago is turning containers into luxury living. The two-story homes are completely customizable featuring terraces and 10-foot ceilings. The homes will start at $300,000 which is just under Chicago’s median selling price of $320,000, according to Realtor.com.

2. Homeless housing

The abundance of shipping containers is being used to solve another crisis in Los Angeles. The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village opened in 2021, offering 232 beds in shipping container-made units to shelter the city’s homeless population. The 60,000 square foot housing facility was constructed in five months to meet deadlines related to the CARES Act, where it procured $51 million of the $57 million needed for the project.

1. Retail space

Retail space can be costly depending on where you are trying to get started. That’s why shipping container markets have been popping up all over the world. Made of 120 repurposed containers, Toronto’s Stackt Market opened in 2019. It’s so modern, it won Fast Company’s 2021 Innovation By Design award for Retail. Las Vegas launched a similar project with the outdoor Downtown Container Park. Meanwhile, BOXPARKs can be found around England.

Tags: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Affordable housing, Arizona, Border, Chicago, Doug Ducey, Homelessness, Los Angeles, Olympics, Qatar

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

AFTER YEARS OF A SHIPPING CRUNCH, NOW WE HAVE…A CONTAINER SHIPPING GLUT? THAT’S RIGHT, WITH DEMAND FOR GOODS DRAWING DOWN, DEPOTS ARE NOW FILLING UP WITH THESE EMPTY VESSELS. HERE ARE SOME CREATIVE WAYS SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE BEING REPURPOSED IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

THE WORLD CUP IS RAMPING UP IN QATAR. AND THEY HAVE GOTTEN CREATIVE WITH VENUES. STADIUM 974 IS A TRANSPORTABLE 40,000 SEAT FACILITY MADE WITH 974 SHIPPING CONTAINERS. THE STADIUM CAN BE DISASSEMBLED AND MOVED ON TO THE NEXT WORLD CUP LOCATION IF WANTED. SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE ALSO BEING USED TO CREATE 30,000 ROOMS FOR FANS AT A PRICE OF $203 PER NIGHT. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A STEEL BOX IN THE DESERT. AM I RIGHT?

COMING IN AT 40 FEET LONG AND WEIGHING NEARLY 9,000 POUNDS, I GUESS THEY MAKE GOOD BARRIERS. ARIZONA GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY INSTRUCTED THE STATE TO FILL GAPS ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER WALL WITH CONTAINERS AFTER CLAIMING THE FEDS WEREN’T DOING ENOUGH TO STOP AN INFLUX OF MIGRANTS. THEY’VE SO FAR FILLED FOUR GAPS IN YUMA COUNTY, THE FED’S TOLD DUCEY TO KNOCK IT OFF AND REMOVE THEM, BUT SO FAR HE’S DEFYING THAT ORDER.

LIVING IN SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES ISN’T COMPLETELY UNPRECEDENTED. ENTER VINCENNES VILLAGE, A DEVELOPMENT IN CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE. THE 2 STORY HOMES ARE COMPLETELY CUSTOMIZABLE, FEATURING A TERRACE AND 10 FOOT CEILINGS. DON’T WORRY, THEY HAVE FAR MORE WINDOWS THAN THEIR QATAR COUNTERPARTS. THE HEAVILY ALTERED SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES START AT 300 GS, COMING IN JUST UNDER CHICAGO’S MEDIAN SELLING PRICE OF 320 THOUSAND.

THE ABUNDANCE OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS IS BEING USED TO ADDRESS ANOTHER CRISIS IN LOS ANGELES. THE HILDA L. SOLIS CARE FIRST VILLAGE OPENED IN 2021 – OFFERING 232 BEDS IN CONTAINER-MADE UNITS TO SHELTER LA’S HOMELESS POPULATION. THEY COMPLETED THE 60,000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSING FACILITY IN JUST 5 MONTHS TO MEET THE CARES ACT FUNDING DEADLINE – WHERE THEY GOT MOST OF THE MONEY.

ANYONE IN SMALL BUSINESS CAN TELL YOU RETAIL SPACE CAN BE COSTLY. THAT’S WHY SHIPPING CONTAINER MARKETS ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THE WORLD. TORONTO’S STACKT MARKET OPENED IN 2019 WITH 120 REPURPOSED CONTAINERS. THE PROJECT EVEN WON FAST COMPANY’S 2021 INNOVATION BY DESIGN AWARD FOR RETAIL. VEGAS HAS A SIMILAR PROJECT WITH THE OUTDOOR DOWNTOWN CONTAINER PARK. WHILE LONDON’S BOXPARK IS JUST ONE OF MANY PROOFS OF CONCEPT IN THE U.K.

SO WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN THINGS PICK BACK UP AND THEY NEED ALL THESE CONTAINERS BACK? I GUESS THAT’S A PROBLEM FOR ANOTHER DAY. AND THAT IS FIVE FOR FRIDAY. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO AND IT’S JUST BUSINESS.