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

| Sep 16, 2013

Forty-three percent of energy leaders will invest more in efficiency next year (infographic)

Forty-three percent of energy leaders say their investment in energy efficiency next year is projected to be more than it was last year, according to survey results released today by Schneider Electric. Twenty-two percent said their projected investment would stay the same, and 10 percent reported their investment would be less than last year.

| Sep 16, 2013

Forty-three percent of energy leaders will invest more in efficiency next year (infographic)

 Forty-three percent of energy leaders say their investment in energy efficiency next year is projected to be more than it was last year, according to survey results released today by Schneider Electric. Twenty-two percent said their projected investment would stay the same, and 10 percent reported their investment would be less than last year.

| Sep 16, 2013

Construction spending hits four-year high in July: AGC report

Total construction spending hit a four-year high in July as private residential and nonresidential activity increased while public spending declined, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged lawmakers in Washington to make infrastructure investment a top federal priority before funding runs out at the end of September.

| Sep 13, 2013

Loews Hotels & Resorts announces major cross-portfolio upgrades

Loews Hotels & Resorts is currently in the midst of a major growth and property redesign initiative, reflecting a strong national trend in hospitality renovation. 

| Sep 13, 2013

Video: Arup offers tour of world's first algae-powered building

Dubbed BIQ house, the building features a bright green façade consisting of hollow glass panels filled with algae and water.

| Sep 11, 2013

Inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Expo & Conference draws attendees from 27 states

More than 500 attendees from 27 states attended the inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Conference, held September 9-11, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. 

| Sep 10, 2013

The new medical office building: 7 things to know about today’s outpatient clinic

Regulatory pressures, economic constraints, and emerging technologies are transforming healthcare. Learn how Building Teams are responding with efficient, appealing, boundary-blurring outpatient buildings. 

| Sep 6, 2013

Public Architecture's Day Labor Station: Just the type of 'great idea' we're looking for in the $5,000 Vision U40 competition

Thinking about competing in BD+C's Vision U40 program at next month's U40 Leadership Summit? Here's a good example of the kind of "great idea" we're looking for. 

| Sep 6, 2013

U40 Summit featured speaker: Arthur Gensler on how to build a world-class AEC practice

Gensler, founder of the world’s largest architecture firm, will talk about the role of the architect in society, the impact of great design, and the practicalities of starting and running a practice, and will offer advice for today’s young design and construction professionals.

| Sep 4, 2013

Augmented reality: 12 applications for design and construction professionals

Building Design+Construction reached out to AEC professionals who have studied and applied augmented reality and asked them to pinpoint applications that are ripe for the technology. Here’s what they had to offer.

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.



Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.

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