The five separate shipping containers make up Cinco Camp, a low-tech weekend retreat located twenty-five miles from the nearest town in the middle of western Texas. The container's rusted look match the cow guards and fences found in the surrounding landscape. “I wanted something that blends into the landscape and could be installed and eventually removed with minimal disturbance to the environment,” Roger Black explains to journalist Kate Murphy.
On cargo ships and trailer trucks, the shipping containers stack on four sockets. In this design, the sockets are used to raise the container on the four footings and to lift the metal canopy above the container.
A shed metal canopy hovers above each container containers absorbing most of the heat. The remained of the heat is dissipated by the wind currents that pass between the canopy and the container below. Each container is also equipped with a air conditioner box.
A window is cut out at one end of each container and the other end opening completely with full doors. Sliding screen doors keep most of the insects out during the day. The containers can also close-up completely during the night or when not in use. In his own article about the project, Roger Black explains the process that the contractor, Steve Ekstrom took on:
"Steve found five containers . . . and then sandblasted them, removing the logos of various Chinese shipping companies, added insulation and lined them with high density fiberboard. In three of them, he put in prefab showers stalls and built HDF cabinets to make a nifty little bathroom. In the fourth he put in a galley, with standard white appliances, one rung up from the cheapest. The fifth, we left, unfinished, for storage, an internet router, a washing machine and a freezer."
Conclusion: There are valuable lessons to be learned from Camp Cinco. The use of shade and passive ventilation to keep the containers cool in the hot Texas sun. Then, the use of the existing sockets to support the structural elements of the building. The scale is however more luxurious than other examples. Other container projects, such as 'crou' by Olgga Architectes, are able to fit living space, dining areas, a desk, sleeping nook and bathroom into a single container.
Articles on this building:
"No Deposit, No Returns" by Roger Black (the owner). http://www.rogerblack.com/blog/no_deposit_no_return
"Self-Contained in Texas" by Kate Murphy for the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/garden/16location.html?_r=2&partner=rs...
"custom / 3,500 square feet or less / grand: 2009 residential architecture design awards" by Cheryl Weber. http://www.residentialarchitect.com/industry-news.asp?articleID=951064
"Low Tech Texas Container Retreat" by Preston Koerner. http://www.jetsongreen.com/2009/07/cinco-camp-texas-container-cabin-retr...
