Containing Space is published on the Architecktur FachMagazin Website.

Emptied of freight

The Iranian ZAV Architects are transforming a former shipping container with their Containing Space. A mobile social space is created that is open for various uses in different locations.

The upcycling of shipping containers is all the rage. The former transport boxes for freight from all over the world are turned into hotel rooms, student dormitories, sales rooms, observation towers, swimming pools or even entire residential buildings. The shipping container architecture is modular, inexpensive, robust and sustainable, as long as you use containers that have already been used. They are also ideal for temporary mobile space structures, such as the Containing Space. It consists of just a single shipping container, which can be a café in an inner courtyard, a library in a public square, a first aid station at an event location, or a rest hut in nature. With enough creativity, the range of uses is unlimited, which is further expanded by the existing supply of the container with electricity from solar panels.

The height-adjustable feet of the container allow adaptation to different topographical conditions and thus positioning in different contexts. As an example, the area of ​​the container of 14.5 m² can be used for a mobile café bar. From the outside, the container is still recognizable as such, the interior then completely differs from this impression. Openings on the long wall and the ceiling, which are based on the waves in the sheet steel, bring light into the interior of the box. Through them the closed effect is lost and a connection to the environment is established.

Slidable elements on the six-meter-long outer wall make the container a walk-in, inviting space. The outer shell and interior, like the walls, ceiling and floor of the interior, take on a uniform, strong red tone and thus create a compact unit. The container space automatically not only takes up the area on which it stands, but also creates a small space in front of it thanks to its open character and its present appearance, which invites you to enjoy a coffee and chat together.