Atira builds Canada’s first container housing complex<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Builders love old shipping containers. Structurally sound, if not a little ugly, they can be turned into instant structures. Drive-through banks or coffee kiosks come to mind.\u00a0They’ve\u00a0even been turned into single family homes. Now, a Vancouver non-profit is going one step further, creating Canada\u2019s first multi-unit housing complex comprised\u00a0entirely\u00a0<\/i>of recycled containers.<\/p>\n

The ambitious plan calls for 12 containers stacked three boxes high mounted or \u201ckeyed in\u201d to each other as they are aboard a ship. Connected by an external staircase, the 12 containers will be split into two to create accommodation for 24 tenants.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019d been to presentations on container housing before and I thought it was cool,\u201d says Janice Abbott, CEO of\u00a0Atira Women\u2019s Resource Centre<\/a>, a Vancouver non-profit which provides affordable housing to women at risk. \u201cI also like the idea of recycling something that was in a junk yard.”<\/p>\n

Atira erected its last building, a 14 storey structure in concrete and steel, at a cost of $ 270,000 per unit or $ 843 per square foot. The present container- only building costs $ 85,000 per unit or $ 266 per square foot. That allows Atira to charge a monthly rent of $ 375 \u2013 that\u2019s the price of a welfare cheque and is well below market value.\u00a0\u00a0That means Atira\u2019s\u00a0clientele\u00a0can afford a place to live. Renting out the top units at higher prices to the better-heeled will subsidize the lower floors.<\/p>\n

The boxes were modified in a local shipyard and stacked on site by crane. Turning them into suites presented unique challenges says architect and engineer Barry McGinn. Steel studs, spray foam insulation and drywall; that was the easy part, he says. But how do you cut out the side of these boxes for windows and doors and still maintain structural integrity?\u00a0\u00a0Extensive cross-bracing around the openings was the answer. In addition, both ends were cut out to provide floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows flood the rooms with light and makes them less…well…boxy. At 320 square feet they\u2019re small but brilliantly designed with a micro kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.<\/p>\n

Nobody\u2019s lived in a community of containers before, at least not in Canada, and Abbott is aware she\u2019s breaking new ground. Vancouver\u2019s Planning and Building Departments are on board but the jury is still out on public acceptance. Vancouverites like the stereotypical bungalow and white picket fence. “I don\u2019t care about stigma,” says Abbott. “I just want to provide housing for people in need.” \u00a0The complex is slated to open later this summer.<\/p>\n

“Shipping containers make a good starting point for any type of building,” says Barry McGinn. With New York, London and the world\u2019s other large cities now approving and constructing 300 square foot apartments, albeit\u00a0up-scale\u00a0and loaded with goodies, are container communities such a long way off?<\/p>\n

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Atira builds Canada’s first container housing complex Builders love old shipping containers. Structurally sound, if not a little ugly, they can be turned into instant structures. Drive-through banks or coffee kiosks come to mind.\u00a0They’ve\u00a0even been turned into single family homes. Now, a Vancouver non-profit is going one step further, creating Canada\u2019s first multi-unit housing complex […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":35414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,4706,36],"tags":[6141,6142,7051,6140,6391],"yoast_head":"\n