Merriman Anderson/Architects designs affordable housing complex out of shipping containers

The Lomax Container Housing Project is an apartment complex made of shipping containers set to rise in Southeast Dallas. The project was designed by Merriman Anderson/Architects (MAA) in collaboration with CitySquare Housing.

The 300-sf shipping containers will be repurposed into 19 one-bedroom affordable apartments at the intersection of South Malcolm X Boulevard and Louise Avenue. The layout of each home features the living area at the front of the space, then the kitchen, followed by the bathroom, and lastly the bedroom at the back of the home. The units will be rent restricted at 60% of the Area Median Income and will go for about $906 a month including utilities. The containers will be built off site and delivered and installed by Falcon Structures.

The Lomax Container Housing Project is a prototype that CitySquare Housing intends to build in strategic locations around Dallas with the goal of moving to larger site that will feature 100 to 130 units.

MAA’s partners on the project include Summit Consultants, Hunt & Joiner, RLG Consulting Engineers, IntroSpec, and Studio Outside.

Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.