flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Must see: Developer stacks shipping containers atop grain silos to create student housing tower

Must see: Developer stacks shipping containers atop grain silos to create student housing tower

Mill Junction will house up to 370 students and is supported by 50-year-old grain silos.


By BD+C Staff | February 14, 2014

In a different take on shipping container student housing from Christian Salvati's work in Connecticut, a new student development has just opened to tenants in South Africa.

In less than a year, developer Cintiq built a 15-story structure, using pre-existing concrete grain silos and shipping containers. Mill Junction will house 370 Johnnesburg students, providing rooftop decks and free WiFi. 

Gizmodo reports that the basis of the structure, the approximately 50-year-old silos, sat empty for years. They were retrofitted with floors, dorm rooms, and windows as a part of the process. The development is also wheelchair accessible reports The Citizen

A massive crane lifted the shipping containers onto the silos, and the final step was to decorate the containers' interior. 

 

Balanced on 50-year-old silos, the shipping containers are actually wheelchair accessible.

 

Windows had to be cut out of the thick concrete of the silos.

 

The shipping containers were lifted on to the silos with a crane. 

 

Rooftop balconies are a feature of the development.

 

The shipping containers were fitted out with new paint and interiors as a final step before habitation.

Related Stories

Giants 400 | Aug 9, 2017

Top 100 Architecture/Engineering Firms

Stantec, HOK, and CallisonRTKL are among the nation’s largest architecture/engineering firms, according to Building Design+Construction’s 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Contractors | Aug 4, 2017

4 ways to prepare for a negotiation

Practice, practice, practice, and understanding both sides of the deliberation are critical to success in any negotiation.

Laboratories | Aug 3, 2017

Today’s university lab building by the numbers

A three-month study of science facilities conducted by Shepley Bulfinch reveals key findings related to space allocation, size, and cost. 

Lighting | Aug 2, 2017

Dynamic white lighting mimics daylighting

By varying an LED luminaire’s color temperature, it is possible to mimic daylighting, to some extent, and the natural circadian rhythms that accompany it, writes DLR Group’s Sean Avery. 

Healthcare Facilities | Aug 2, 2017

8 healthcare design lessons from shadowing a nurse

From the surprising number of “hunting and gathering” trips to the need for quiet spaces for phone calls, interior designer Carolyn Fleetwood Blake shares her takeaways from a day shadowing a nurse.

Sponsored | Architects | Aug 2, 2017

Are visual ergonomics the new key to project delivery?

An Australian Home Theater Company is out to prove that the easier you can see it, the easier you can sell it.  

Multifamily Housing | Jul 27, 2017

Apartment market index: Business conditions soften, but still solid

Despite some softness at the high end of the apartment market, demand for apartments will continue to be substantial for years to come, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. 

Multifamily Housing | Jul 27, 2017

Game rooms and game simulators popular amenities in multifamily developments

The number of developments providing space for physical therapy was somewhat surprising, according to a new survey.

Building Enclosure Systems | Jul 26, 2017

Balcony and roof railings and the code: Maintain, repair, or replace? [AIA course]

Lacking familiarity with current requirements, some owners or managers complete a roof or balcony rehabilitation, only to learn after the fact that they need to tear noncompliant railings out of their new roof or terrace and install new ones. 

Office Buildings | Jul 26, 2017

Meeting space leads to innovation

PDR Principal Larry Lander explains how to design for workplaces where four generations are working together.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Resiliency

Austin area evacuation center will double as events venue

A new 45,000 sf FEMA-operated evacuation shelter in the Greater Austin metropolitan area will begin construction this fall. The center will be available to house people in the event of a disaster such as a major hurricane and double as an events venue when not needed for emergency shelter.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021