Design students turn shipping containers into unusual accommodations

Monday, June 1, 2009

Tacoma's School of the Arts Interior design instructor Seong Shin challenged her students to think "outside the box" and so they did, turning ordinary shipping containers into a variety of luxury homes, hotels, even offices.

According to a recent article in the McClatchy-Tribune, Shin has arranged for her students to formally present their concepts, in drawings and models, to a panel of Tacoma-area developers, artists, architects, real estate brokers, engineers and business leaders.

Surplus shipping containers are commonly found in port cities, and these students developed a variety of creative ways to use these for affordable yet unique living spaces.

Designs included a medical day clinic for use in Third World countries, a retail space, a hostel and a luxury apartment.