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

High-rise Construction | Oct 5, 2015

Zaha Hadid designs cylindrical office building with world’s tallest atrium

The 200-meter-high open space will cut the building in two.

Architects | Oct 2, 2015

Herzog & de Meuron unveils design for Vancouver Art Gallery expansion

The blocky, seven-story wood and concrete structure is wider in the middle and uppermost floors.  

Airports | Sep 30, 2015

Takeoff! 5 ways high-flyin' airports are designing for rapid growth

Nimble designs, and technology that humanizes the passenger experience, are letting airports concentrate on providing service and generating revenue.

Contractors | Sep 30, 2015

FMI: Construction in place on track for sustained growth through 2016

FMI’s latest report singles out manufacturing, lodging, and office sectors as the drivers of nonresidential building activity and investment.

Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 29, 2015

What went wrong? Diagnosing building envelope distress [AIA course]

With so many diverse components contributing to building envelope assemblies, it can be challenging to determine which of these myriad elements was the likely cause of a failure.

Architects | Sep 24, 2015

Supertall buildings vie for dominance along Chicago’s skyline

The latest proposals pit designs by Rafael Viñoly, Jeanne Gang, and Helmut Jahn.

Architects | Sep 24, 2015

From Gehry to the High Line: What makes a project a game-changer?

Each year, there are a handful of projects that significantly advance the AEC industry or a particular building type. Send us your game-changing projects for BD+C’s January 2016 special report.

Cultural Facilities | Sep 24, 2015

Bakpak Architects' 'pottery courtyard' concept in Poland incorporates local heritage

The multifunctional building proposed for Rzeszow, Poland, looks like it was handcrafted on a potter’s wheel.

Modular Building | Sep 23, 2015

SOM and DOE unveil 3D-printed, off-the-grid building

The Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE) building features a high-performance shell with a photovoltaic roof and built-in natural gas generator.

Airports | Sep 23, 2015

JFK Airport's dormant TWA terminal will be reborn as a hotel

After 15 years of disuse, the Googie architecture-inspired TWA Flight Center at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport will be transformed into a hotel. Gizmodo reports that the city’s Port Authority chose a renovation proposal from Jet Blue this week.

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