Over the last decade, we have seen the rise of container housing – from smart one-off houses in California to emergency housing for homeless in London to 1000 unit student housing developments in the Netherlands.  The latest scheme in London to have received planning permission is a “pop-up” retail and business mall consisting of 50 recycled shipping containers at the Elephant and Castle to provide low-cost retail and business space (with a particular focus on small and start-up companies) as part of a regeneration initiative by the developers Lend Lease and Southwark Borough Council.  The businesses, if successful, may eventually take up a permanent residence in the new high street which will be created as part of the £1.5 billion regeneration scheme.  The development will open in early 2014.

There are huge aircraft graveyards in Arizona and New Mexico in the US – no doubt there are others which are less publicised.  What potential these old aircraft could have for temporary housing or hospitals in disaster areas with a little bit of imagination, rather than sitting in the desert.  Ideas please?