Office Building Made Entirely From Converted Shipping Containers

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25 October 2023

A new office building in Southampton Port has been constructed entirely out of converted shipping containers, saving around 40 per cent against the cost of a traditional building of the same size.

The office, for cargo handler Solent Stevedores, was constructed by Willbox, also based in Southampton. 

The new 3,500 square foot, two-storey office is made from 11 steel containers professionally converted to office use and then welded together. Construction of the modular building took four months, with 97 per cent of the fabrication and conversion of the containers completed away from the site and then put together on location. The Willbox conversion team also completed the designs and plans for the building.

This isn’t the first time shipping containers have been used in an innovative way. Owing to their waterproof nature and structural strength, these containers have been used in projects such as Container City in East London and several Boxpark sites. 

James Dale, Conversion Manager for Willbox, said: “This is the biggest project that we have undertaken and it pushed all the boundaries for us from a project management point of view.

“The containers are designed with a 15-year life expectancy in harsh conditions at sea, but if they are looked after appropriately there is no reason why these containers won’t last for as long as bricks and mortar.

“Once we had the design brief from Solent Stevedores we worked on a specification for this building that made it the perfect working space for the staff. There is a 360-degree view from the building and we have worked hard to take away any perceptions that it could be claustrophobic by putting lots of windows in.

“This is going to be a very comfortable building for all those that work there - at no point will it feel like they are in an enclosed container box. Instead it will feel like a cohesive and contemporary designed modern building.”

Picture: a photograph showing the new Solent Stevedores building in Southampton Port. Image Credit: Willbox

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 25 October 2023

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