Can a shipping container be re-purposed for use on a school campus? Sure, why not! KNA Structural Engineers just completed design on such a project for our client Baker Nowicki Design Studio. They recycled a shipping container and turned it into a toilet room. Now that’s innovation.
The primary objective was to create a less expensive alternative to concrete masonry unit (CMU) or wood-framed construction. The project was reviewed and approved through the Division of the State Architect (DSA) following their published IR 16-10 “Cargo Container Conversion to Modular School Buildings.” As the DSA doesn’t accept the metal deck walls of the shipping container to function as a lateral system, KNA designed metal-stud framing and steel-sheet shear walls to the interior of the building. The container project supports several of our values—innovation and creativity.
The real advantage of using a shipping container allows the contractor to fabricate the entire restroom off-site and just drop it on the foundation, then hook-up the utilities and go! The structure will be located at Palm Springs High School, and is scheduled to start construction in late 2017. Next time we see a shipping container, we’ll be thinking about what to design next!
See what a shipping container can be:
- 15 Awesome Ways to Reuse Shipping Containers
- Top 26 Innovative Uses of Shipping Containers
- You Won’t Believe What a Shipping Container can Become
Above: Rendering generously provided by Baker Nowicki Design Studio.
