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

| Oct 8, 2014

New tools for community feedback and action

Too often, members of a community are put into a reactive position, asked for their input only when a major project is proposed. But examples of proactive civic engagement are beginning to emerge, write James Miner and Jessie Bauters.

| Oct 8, 2014

Massive ‘healthcare village’ in Nevada touted as world’s largest healthcare project

The $1.2 billion Union Village project is expected to create 12,000 permanent jobs when completed by 2024.  

| Oct 8, 2014

First look: Woods Bagot unveils plans for new Christchurch Convention Center

The locally-inspired building is meant to serve as a symbol of the city's recovery from the earthquake of 2011.

| Oct 8, 2014

Denver transit project wins design-build Project of the Year honor

The Denver Union Station Transit Improvement Project is among 25 projects honored by the Design Build Institute of America for excellence in design-build project delivery.

| Oct 7, 2014

Analysis: Student loans will cost housing industry $83 billion in 2014

More than 410,000 single- and multifamily home sales will be lost in 2014 due to student loan debt, according to analysis by John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Sponsored | | Oct 7, 2014

Boost efficiency with advanced framing

As architects continue to search for ways to improve building efficiencies, more and more are turning to advanced framing methods, particularly for multifamily and light commercial projects. 

| Oct 7, 2014

Economic gains are rallying rents in Raleigh, N.C.

The greater Raleigh, N.C., market appears to be getting back on its feet again, which is good news for rental property owners.

| Oct 7, 2014

Structured, not stirred: The architecture of cocktails [infographic]

In this downloadable graphic, technologist Shaan Hurley dissects 37 cocktails and analyzes their architectural makeup. 

| Oct 6, 2014

Moshe Safdie: Skyscrapers lead to erosion of urban connectivity

The 76-year-old architect sees skyscrapers and the privatization of public space to be the most problematic parts of modern city design. 

| Oct 6, 2014

Houston's office construction is soaring

Houston has 19 million square feet of office space under construction, 54% more than a year ago, and its highest level since the booming 1980s, according to local news reports.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Museums

The Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a $110 million expansion

In Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a 77,904-sf Centennial Expansion project. The museum plans to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025 and then break ground. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and with construction manager The Beck Group, the expansion will redefine the museum’s surrounding site.


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