With jazzy-coloured doors along the façade, the latest London project to use shipping containers for economic short-term accommodation has been established along the banks of the Regents Canal in Shoreditch. Last year a “pop-up” retail and business mall created from containers opened in the Elephant and Castle, London.
Named “ContainerVille”, this new scheme of 30 containers was developed by The Estate Office Shoreditch to provide clean modern accommodation for young businesses to develop and grow, with good communications access by public transport and cycling (perhaps also using water transport on the canal in years to come?). Each container can house up to eight desk spaces and contains a small kitchen unit along with high speed 100 MB internet access at a rental of £1,000 per month per container, including site security, cctv, cycle parking and showers.
More schemes like this may be needed if London is to maintain the balance between additional housing on brown-field sites, announced today, and the businesses which will provide employment and create future economic growth, while creating communities of young entrepreneurs.
Just in case you thought containers were boring, having a look at the creativity that designers have achieved in creating individual homes from them on the website here…….