
Plans for container homes in Hong Kong get a mixed reaction from experts - protomyth
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/interiors-living/article/2121388/plans-container-homes-hong-kong-get-mixed-reaction
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tyingq
It's a metal box with dimensions that aren't great for housing needs. So you
modify it by adding insulation, cutting and welding pieces together, etc.
Which makes it neither prefab nor great base material.

I don't see what the surprise is.

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mc32
On the other hand they are standard sized, rugged, weather resistant, modular,
stackable and affordable.

The right configuration can be impressive. Sure, it has some form limitations,
whose alterations would obviate their use in the first place, but they can be
made to work within some limits.

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burntrelish1273
This hipster fad doesn't scale and won't live long. A couple of containers
made corrosion resistant, partially buried are fine for climate-controlled
storage and make good sheds. _Maybe_ two floors.

I'd rather use most of a derelict 747, after hazmat elimination, as a building
if we're going to get "creative," because containers are passé.

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mc32
They may not be well suited for expensive land like Hong Kong, but many other
places they can make economic sense. I wouldn't consider them for anything
more than 4 floors --but they can address some niche housing needs in other
places.

They don't have to be dull or bad, if retrofitted the right way.

Now, granted, now that we've developed techniques to build with very standard
modules (rather than traditional pre-fab), container MFGs could tweak their
designs to fit better into homebuilding. A bit wider a bit taller, a bit
lighter, a bit better thermally. All addressable aspects.

With respect to aspect, we have shotgun houses and single-wides as other
aspects which have worked in the past. Those basic dimensions could inform
what might work for a modular all-purpose building block. Legos for housing.

