Keetwonen is the name of the biggest container city in the world according to Tempohousing, a modular design firm based in the Netherlands. Built for temporary student housing, there are 1000 units arranged in blocks creating a new community, which include a cafe, supermarket, office space, and even a sports area.
Many of the initial fears of living in a shipping container were the small sizes, the loud noise level, and maintaining climate control. However since its completion, it has become the second most popular student dormitory offered by the student housing corporation "De Key." They have turned out to be spacious, quiet and well insulated and offer value for money compared to other student homes in Amsterdam.
Each unit comes with its own bathroom, kitchen, balcony, separate sleeping and study spaces, large windows that provide daylight and a view. The heating is from a central natural gas boiler system. The hot water is supplied by one 50 liter tank per home and a high speed internet connection is included, as well as a central audio phone system for visitors at the main door downstairs.
Although the project was initially meant to only stay on this site for 5 years (and to be relocated after that – container homes are ideal for that, you move and you take your house with you!), it is expected that the relocation will be postponed until 2016. The project started at the end of 2005 (first 60 homes commissioned) and was completed mid 2006.
Winner of the Funda Award for the Best Executed Innovation in Construction
Pros:
Evidence that you can build a village with a shipping containers.
Originally built as temporary but the success of the project has extended its use.
Cons:
Sometimes their shipping containers are not reused ore recycled shipping containers. Tempohousing construct their shipping containers units in either China as new shipping containers with new steel shells or in the Netherlands which uses old shipping containers. According to their website, they try to obtain the shipping containers close to the construction site, but most of the time they ship the ones from China because they are better quality and don't have to spend the money modifying the old containers.
Videos:
