Shipping containers are widely used in the maritime transportation industry for cargo transport. However, as viable as they are in their operational domain, these highly useful pieces of equipment are known to be recycled and used in various innovative ways outside the industry.
Below, I will provide a brief description of the different uses of shipping containers around the world:
25 Different Uses of Shipping Containers
1. Bars and Restaurants
The repurposing of intermodal containers to turn them into open bars and bistros has become a popular trend in many parts of the world. Although the longevity of such structured bars and bistros is not extensive, they offer a recreational atmosphere even during their short service life.
2. Schools
In the poorest parts of the world, where constructing a traditional school building can be costly, the use of shipping containers for classrooms has become a notable trend. By using renewable energy sources, these classrooms aim to provide the same quality of education as any developing nation in the world. This is a beautiful example of a classroom made from a container.
3. Restaurants and Cafes
Another brilliant use of recycled shipping containers is for coffee bars, providing the much-needed caffeine sustenance for coffee lovers. The use of repurposed intermodal containers as base structures for restaurants has become a very current trend. Muvbox Restaurant in Montreal, Canada, is an excellent example in this regard, as are other unique restaurants of this kind found around the world.
4. Container Homes
The use of cargo containers to construct spacious and large houses is another fantastic alternative that has developed in the last decade.
5. Hotels
Cargo containers have also found an alternative niche as base structures for hotels in many parts of the world. Such hotels made from repurposed containers are transportable structures or permanently established constructions in a single location.
6. Workshops
The lack of space in homes for work-related privacy has given rise to the trend of using intermodal containers as alternative workspaces. The ideal construction of containers perfectly caters to the needs of professionals using these transformed marvels, proving it’s worthwhile.
7. Offices
Space constraints are a common issue in many countries. Processed shipping containers have been effectively used to address this issue by architecturally modifying them into convenient and spacious office buildings.
8. Emergency Hospitals
Like an ambulance, but something much more. The modification of shipping containers into hospitals as mobile homes is truly a masterful aspect of contemporary engineering.
9. Portable Bathrooms
The reprocessing of intermodal transport containers as mobile toilets is a common sight in many countries. Convenient features, such as these mobile toilets, help maintain a sanitary and hygienic environment at all times.
10. Stores
Cutting-edge retail establishments are the current trend. Adding greater viability to these trends is the adoption of containers as lucrative base structures for these attractive high-rise stores.
11. Studios and Offices
Shipping containers also become amazing customized studio workshops to reflect the uniqueness of the professional using them.
12. Art Galleries
The repurposing of cargo containers into brilliant art galleries is also growing in many places. These art galleries and exhibition centers are completely revamped to highlight and emphasize the creativity displayed within them.
13. Saunas
Our own personal relaxation haven, variety doesn’t come in better forms than modified container saunas.
14. Shelters for Natural Disasters
For families displaced from their homes due to natural disasters and accidents, re-modified cargo transport containers serve as the best structures to function as temporary shelters.
15. Vacation Homes
Economical yet stylish, shipping containers are the new “stylish” architectural element in the concept of holiday and beach residences.
16. Nightclubs and Bars
Intermodal containers have also gained great acceptance among nightclub-goers due to their clever adaptation to the recreational scene.
17. Student Accommodation
In countries and cities where space scarcity is a major issue, reprocessed cargo containers facilitate the best alternatives. When it comes to student accommodation in schools and colleges, such usage takes on a completely new meaning.
18. Swimming Pools
Rectangular cargo containers make excellent pool facilities with their originally built length and depth.
19. Camping
Reprocessed intermodal containers have also become favorites among campers worldwide because these structures provide sturdiness with absolutely high comfort levels.
20. Urban Centers
Architecturally organized shipping container shelves have given rise to many innovative lifestyle centers in various cities and metropolises around the world.
21. Shopping Malls
The use of containers as shops and points of sale in shopping malls is another growing trend in the use of cargo containers.
22. Football Stadiums
The 974 Stadium is one of the stadiums where the Qatar 2022 World Cup was played. It is the first temporary football venue in history, thanks to its unique container design. The stadium is entirely built with containers and corten steel. It is the first fully removable football stadium, demonstrating Qatar’s commitment to sustainability.
23. Nurseries and Indoor Gardens
The conversion of shipping containers into farms and nurseries is another innovative trend in the use of reprocessed cargo containers.
24. Garages and Parking Lots
Reprocessed cargo containers have also found utility as ingenious garages and parking lots in many parts of the world, thanks to the versatility of the large steel boxes.
25. Warehouses, Gyms, and Sports Centers
Cost efficiency factors have also led to the conversion of containers into well-equipped gyms and fitness centers in various schools worldwide. Besides cost benefits, the use of cargo containers also saves time and labor in all construction processes, making Maritime Containers useful in various applications.