Interior concept for Eco-restaurant

Innovative Eco-restaurant from Boxman Studios

This past week the Charlotte NC City Council again deferred approval for an Eco-Restaurant. The “Lunch Box”, with solar panels and designed from a recycled shipping container, won’t be attracting tourists and tourist $$ dollars to Charlotte anytime soon, no matter how creative and well packaged it is by it’s owners.

The Boxman Studio guys have done any excellent job of designing and presenting their creative concept to the City of Charlotte. They have been positive, polite and patient since early this Spring but as of last week their project is still not approved, and may not ever be. The reason? Here’s the shocker…. It seems to be “so” creative that it does not fit into “any” Zoning or business categories.

It’s difficult to realize that Adam Kalkin and LOT-EK concepts would not meet approval in Charlotte either, no matter how successful they are with the international media and the public.

If only the Boxman guys were in another American city, Canada, Europe or Australia. Most cities are interested in such innovative business models, …especially Eco-Green and compact. Most cities will work hastily to understand and approve such concepts so they will get publicity, media attention, a positive image, and therefore millions of tourist dollars. Creative businesses, especially restaurants, keep cities alive and revenue at it’s highest.

Check out their website-blog and see if you can understand why they have not been approved yet and booming with business right now. …we certainly can’t.  [ LINK ]

We can only say to Jim, David, and their associates, …there are other cities and your innovation will soon be recognized by many. Your concept is a winner.

For all the wonderful things Charlotte is known for, this one is baffling.

TempoHousing 72 suite Hotel in Haiti

TempHousing hotel en route to Haiti

Quinten de Gooijer, president of TempoHousing, contacted us a few weeks ago and informed us they were ready to ship the prefabricated hotel units to Haiti. The units are 72- 45′ HC containers.

These ISBU modules are connected to contain 72 16′x18′ luxury hotel rooms with a corridor in between. They are part of a new hotel complex they manufactured for a customer in Haiti. This container hotel will replace an older collapsed hotel near Port-au-Prince Haiti.

Besides the need of housing for the citizens in Haiti, there is a tremendous shortage of housing for relief workers, medical teams and other NGO employees. This hotel will help to relieve the shortage.

Prefabricated ISBU container modules can quickly produce one of the strongest, recyclable, and most sustainable structures for housing, storage and business.

TempoHousing joined the ISBU Association in 2008 and continue to grow with their “Green” building concepts even with the global recession. The entire prefab container hotel in Haiti is scheduled for completion later this Fall.

"Containers To Clinics" head to Haiti

First Container Medical Clinic arrives in Haiti

The first shipping container based medical clinic arrived in Haiti last month and is now serving Haitian refugees as Haiti continues to heal from January’s earthquake. Containers, also known as ISBU’s are a growing trend globally for clinics, temporary housing, as well as luxury homes.

The non-profit group Containers To Clinics finally worked through the “red tape” and got their first Clinic shipped from the US to Haiti.

This was a great humanitarian effort supported by cash and equipment donations. The ISBU containers were donated by Triton Containers, with design and construction provided by Stack Build Design and medical facility design architects Ashen + Allen.

A large number of organizations and groups have been attempting to provide ISBU container based housing to Haiti. Many have contacted our ISBU Association office to express frustration and lack of cooperation from the US government and UN officials. This is not something any of us expected.

With better cooperation, this simple ISBU technology could have been in place immediately. We are thankful that Elizabeth Sheehan and her staff at “Containers To Clinics” were able to push forward and break some very tough ground.

Sudden global demand for more shipping containers

In only a few months a drastic change in the demand for shipping containers causes the biggest shipping container shortage in the history of the global shipping industry!

The sudden global demand for shipping containers has caught the global shipping industry completely off guard and the result is the largest shortage of shipping containers in history.

In early March, as the world was attempting to assist Haiti, we began hearing from many of our larger Corporate members they could not get containers for some reason and could we help?

When we contacted some of the biggest carriers and container sources they assured us it was simply a temporary logistics problem.  We couldn’t imagine such problems, …but they continued to get worse.

By May we were hearing that not only were shipping containers scarce to purchase, but that factory orders for all types of goods were stacking up in virtually all ports of China with no ships and no containers.

Surge In Global Orders-No Containers

Last week we learned that TAL and others had such an increase in the demand for containers that more than 90% of their fleet was in use. Many other shipping companies were at full capacity and still orders sitting at ports and factories for weeks. The problems were serious.

Solution Announced

Maersk, which is the largest shipping company globally, has now confirmed they are putting most of their ships back in action immediately, and that they, along with TAL, Textainer and others have begun productions of thousands on new containers which are expected to be in service beginning July and August of this year.

This growth, trend, and demand is the hot topic in all the shipping trade and also making big news in the global stock markets. [ stock news ]

Maybe the “Global Economy” and “European” countries are still sliding, but the demand for shipping containers and ISBU for construction is at an all time high. This amazing upward trend won’t be dying soon. The sale of our Educational Tools, Drawings and Memberships are showing the same growth and interest by architects, building contractors and business entrepreneurs globally.

Related links: Memberships, Architectural Drawings, Container Technology A-Z.  Learn more about the growing Eco-Green trends!

Prefab homes and offices in production

Prefab schools, offices, cabins and homes

Prefab and “ready-to-use” ISBU container units are in big demand. There are many companies out there that advertise designs and concept drawings but have really never produced their first unit.

Too often, architects and housing manufacturers want the media attention they know is available when they shoot out Green prefab home or Prefab container unit sketchs. The reality is they are far from actually manufacturing them and have not yet developed the necessary experience to produce them without error.

The ISBU Association has many Corporate members globally who already have the production and are ready to sell you “the real thing”, not just a hopeful concept drawing.

Take your own concepts and ideas to the experienced professionals who already have the ability to produce your prefab shipping container units.

We want to thank some of our Corporate members who have produced the Prefab units in the photos above: Royal Wolf Containers, SouthWest Mobile Containers, Elite Buildings, TRS Containers, and EcoPods are only a very few of our ISBU Association global members who have the experience and track record to accurately produce from 1 to 100 Prefab Shipping Container homes and units.

If you want to become a manufacturer or designer of “Prefab GreenCube Units”, the ISBU Association is the largest resource for all Container Construction tools and information. See them at our Membership section, or purchase the “Container Technology A-Z” BizGuide.  We are the source….

Good people doing good things....

Quick Homes Super Challenge is off and running in Vancouver Canada to promote, design, and build attractive emergency and transitional housing using ISBU containers as their superstructure.

This visionary program has been organized by Architectural for Humanity Vancouver, in association with the Design Foundation of British Columbia, and co-sponsored by The Tyee Magazine and the Tyee Solutions Society.

It is no surprise these professionals has chosen the Container Technology for housing. The structures will need to be economical, sustainable, recycleable and low maintenance. Container construction is strong and meets all the “green” qualifications for a responsible community.

The program officially began April 15, 2010 and included many speakers with ISBU container experience in the Vancouver, BC area. A few of the fifteen speakers were Keith Hewey (Zigloo), Robert Trubenbach (Container West), Linus Lim (Architecture for Humanity), and Monte Paulson, (Tyee Magazine).

As was stated in thier News Release: “ISBU, aka shipping containers, are the key component of this superchallenge. They are structural, economical/plentiful, mobile, and modern. This design charrette is not merely an exploration of it’s form and typology, but an ambitious yet appropriate initiative that integreates hardware, software, and logistics”.

“We strive for a solution that is fast, cheap, and adaptable: one that can be exported to wherever shipping containers are available around the world”.

We thank these wonderful groups of professionals who have come together in the creation of this very worthwhile program.

Canadian members have always been a big part of the ISBU Association and continue to grow rapidly. Canada itself is a country of amazing technology. Few people truely recognize the important accomplishments of this wonderful country.

Complete information on shipping container architecture and technology.

Here is the complete shipping container construction “How To” and container technology “Resource book” you’ve been waiting for from the ISBU Association.

For the past three years everyone has been asking for a complete and credible book on shipping container architecture and container construction.

The new BizGuide named “Container Technology A-Z” is the most complete and informative resource ever compiled on the subject.  The BizGuide contains nearly 400 pages of accurate research, recommendations, photos and vivid diagrams.

Whether you are interested in construction of a container home, office, cabin, storage unit, or even a technology shell, the new Container Technology A-Z gives you priceless guidance from start to finish.

The new digital publication, known as a Digital Work Book (DWB) also allows the readers access to the ISBU Association database to ask questions that are not yet included in the book.  As questions are asked by the readers, the answers are posted in a searchable database for all readers and ISBU Association members to view. The publication will grow and grow with accurate information that you need to know.

For more information on the book and a list of it’s contents click here. [ Link: Container Technology ]

The publication is accurate because it includes both our Member’s experience, and also vital information from interviews with hundred’s of industry and trade professionals globally during the past 3 years.

You will soon realize this is the most complete resource ever published on the topic of Shipping Container Architecture and ISBU Technology.

The endless need, and endless ideas for ISBU container technology

ISBU technology is a profitable necessity in every country

It’s obvious that big disasters get the biggest news. But even on a calm week, every country in the world has a shortage of emergency rooms, medical facilities, and hospitals.

Shipping containers and ISBU technology is a global solution to almost everything; and a profitable technology no matter what economic conditions.

We thank the Germ Free company in Florida for the pictures and inspirations. In every country of the world, there is an endless need for this technology and also a need for more companies to manufacture them.

If you are a building contractor, architect, engineer, or simply a business entrepreneur looking for a stable future, then this is certainly it.  The ISBU Association offers a simple $18 Research Membership so you can easily and immediately obtain information and architectural tools to evaluate the potential in your area.

The uses for ISBU are only limited to your imagination. The global need is endless.

Professional shipping container templates for Google SketchUp

Pro version 20GP, 20HC, 40GP, and 40HC 3D drawings for SketchUp.

Is it professional 3D CAD, or simply a 3D High Definition template for Google SketchUp?  It’s actually a combination of both and they are a very big hit for engineering professionals and novice designers alike.

These are the new G-Series Pro templates from the ISBU Association and are finally available to the consumer. The high definition templates are actually drawn in 3D CAD, then converted to Google SketchUp and can be used by anyone. No drafting experience needed. Yes, …”anyone can use them”!

Unlike the previous G-Series version which was actually drawn in Google SketchUp, these new shipping container drawings were drawn in 3D CAD, then the 3DS template was converted to SketchUp thus giving the templates the accurate detail and definition which is often missing from most SketchUp templates.

The new professional Google SketchUp templates are available for 20GP, 20HC, 40GP and 40HC shipping containers.

This new version of the G-Series Pro templates are now available for free to all ISBU Association Members. If you are an ISBA Member you may login now and download.  [ Member Login }

If you are not yet an ISBU Association Member you can obtain the new version of our Research Membership for only $18  [ Join here ]  The new G-Series Pro templates are compatible with Google SketchUp and SketchUp Pro.

The Caribbean region and a zoom view of Puerto Rico and nearby Haiti

Versatile exterior designs to fit every neighborhood

Here is a container construction company in Puerto Rico that has found the secret to success in any country. Their modular construction with multiple exterior designs fit every country, culture and neighborhood.

Many people don’t fully realize that Puerto Rico is a very stable U.S. Territory with all the benefits of a U.S. State including U.S. Passports and extreme political stability. That is why so many international bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies manufacture their products there, …stability and a comfortable business environment.

Intek Modular is one of those companies that see all the benefits of living and doing business in Puerto Rico. In 2009 Intek Modular joined the ISBU Association and shifted their construction focus and designs to “Green” modular homes made with the ISBU container superstructure.

Although many companies are building with ISBU, Intek Modular put an additional focus on the exterior with facade designs that are fully compatible with the local communities. Whether their customers prefer stucco or Victorian wood trim, they can still build a Green, economical home with superior strength to stand up to the hurricane seasons in the Caribbean.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez, the President of Intek Modular Construction Corporation, said his Puerto Rico based company began their “modular container” designs in 2009 to save energy and promote Eco-Green living. Now with the re-building needs in Haiti his designs and company are well established to become an integral part of Haiti’s need for stable re-construction.

Using Puerto Rican construction companies and consultants such as Intek Modular is most logical since Puerto Rico is the nearest, and most stable industrial neighbor to Haiti.

Juan Carlos has offered all his staff and resources to the American Red Cross and government re-construction programs. Needless to say, there is much safety, speed and economics using modular ISBU container designs and superstructures.