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
| Jan 3, 2013
Top BIM/VDC articles of 2011-2012
A compendium of BD+Cs top building information modeling and virtual design + construction articles from 2011-12.
| Jan 3, 2013
8 trends shaping today’s senior housing
The ranks of those age 65 and older are swelling by the thousands every day. Is there an opportunity for your firm in the seniors housing market?
| Jan 2, 2013
Trends Report: New facilities enhance the quality of campus life
Colleges and universities are building state-of-the-art student unions, dining halls, and other non-academic buildings to enrich the campus experience, boost enrollment, and stay competitive.
| Jan 2, 2013
M&A activity at U.S. AEC firms up slightly
Total mergers and acquisitions in the AEC industry hit 171 in 2012, up slight from the 169 deals in 2011.
| Jan 2, 2013
Global data center market to ‘slow’ to 14.3% this year
Total global investment in data centers is expected to slow down somewhat this year but still increase at a respectable 14.3%, according to DCD Intelligence.
| Jan 2, 2013
Construction jobs made gains in 2012, even with a slow Q4, says Gilbane report
The construction sector in the nine states with 50% of construction employment was up 169,000 jobs from February to September 2012, following a lost of 137,000 jobs from September 2011 to January 2012.
| Dec 21, 2012
ABI gains for fourth straight month
Positive business conditions for all building sectors.
| Dec 17, 2012
CSM Group names recipient of the CSM Architect Fellowship Grant
With the money from the grant, Harlow has chosen to use it entirely for the Chapter of American Institute of Architecture Student’s Freedom by Design Program at Andrews University.