These are pretty cool, they're building some in Salt Lake City too! See here Great way to use old, cheap shipping containers!

.....at least they could have made it LOOK like you weren't living in a.....cargo container.......

The one thing Detroit doesn't lack is a lot of cheap land and space to build things.*

This would make more sense in a city with little space left to build and a growing economy.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to stay in Detroit.

* If you do a search on realtor.com for Detroit, it's quite shocking.

This is something my husband and I have thought about on a smaller scale. How do we find the containers and what is the price ?

Shipping containers are easily available from shipping container companies. If you do a google for "containers for sale", you get a zillion companies come up. This one in North America is near the top of the list: http://www.iport.com/storage_container.html

Containers are a few grand second-hand (why would you buy a new one?) in NZ. I'm sure they'd be just as inexpensive in the US. It's important to ensure a second-hand container was not used to ship noxious goods, or has anything like formaldehyde residues. The other cost is that of trucking the containers to the site, but since the containers are that standard shipping size, trucking costs are pretty consistent.

Finally, to the commenter who thinks they should be made to not look like shipping containers, what's the point? I personally think they look cool as is, and the idea is to reduce and recycle. If you don't want a house that looks like a shipping container, a different medium is obviously in order.

No mention of what they intended to charge for one of the UNITS.

JC: It actually probably makes more sense for a city with cheap land, because I suspect that there's a limit to how tall (read dense) you can build with containers before they need serious structural reinforcement. And maybe if the units are cheaper to buy, this will attract people back to the city.

DanA, I agree...anyone who thinks this is awesome has obviously never lived in a "container city"...we did on our military deployment for a few months, and let me tell you - it gets old REAL quick. Granted, their insides will probably be better than ours were, plus their bathrooms are connected to each "apartment" (we women had to walk past idiotic Infantrymen who acted as if they'd never seen a woman every time we left our rooms), but...the outsides are monotonous and there's no real way to "dress up" these things.

Sorry, while the idea seemed cool even to me when I'd first heard that we'd be staying in some (overseas), it makes me shudder just at the thought now. :)

Emma: You need to find a shipping yard and put your name on a waiting list for one. They sell off one that are not useful anymore (slightly damaged, like a dent). I think they're roughly in the neighbourhood of $1K-2K, depending on the condition. Transporting them isn't cheap either though.

A lot of people use them for garages and things like hay storage.

That's the way it works in Halifax, anyway.

JC,

Have you ever been to Detroit? It's a great city, and very artistic. I think the container condos are a great idea.

Please note the picture shown is from London, not the proposed Detroit project.

Also, as a resident of the city of Detroit, I am very delighted a project of this scope is going forward. Detroit is a complex and exciting place to live - something which cannot be conveyed on realtor.com.

i agreee with the comments of Adam and Kelly- Detroit is a fabulous city. How wonderful that a developer recognizes the potential of this city and would like to see Detroit raised to a standard they once were before they were robbed by the automotive industry. The people of Detroit deserve to finally be acknowledged for their potentials. I am not a resident of Detroit, however, visit frequently. The city never ceases to amaze me.

Adam,
What is your zip code? I only ask as I have a feeling you don't live in a neighborhood full of sub $10k houses, half of which are burnt and or boarded up.

Every city has it's problems, and that of course includes older run down areas, but to deny Detroit has a big problem is to deny reality.

The national unemployment rate is ~5%, Detroit is nearly double that.

I would rather see some of those neighborhoods of burnt and boarded up houses to be turned into factories and offices and bring back jobs.

How can paint be enough insulation for a city like Detroit? there are some seriously cold winters there.

Seems like a great idea for rebuilding New Orleans. The bottom level could be open, or used for parking to prevent flood damage.

.....at least they could have made it LOOK like you weren't living in a.....cargo container.......

I think that's part of what makes it fun!

I can't wait to see these built.

this design sucks- is the lack of natural lighting make this a "green" design?

This is a wonderful option for a city such as Detroit. For JC and the other Detroit naysayers - NO ONE in Detroit will deny that the city has issues but it's people such as Adam, Kelley and Audrey as well as these developers that are going to change that. Detroit is a city of survivors - we fight for what we love. Take a look at www.modeldmedia.com sometime to see all the GOOD things that are happening in our city. And don't knock it until you can actually say that YOU tried to do something to help.

I own a large commercial wood framing company specializing in apartment and condo projects and have given much consideration and thought to modifying containers for upscale apartments, condos, student housing, and prefab single family homes. Some very cool and creative spaces can be created if you just think out side of the "BOX". There are many ways to stack them, cut them and open large areas inside so you dont feel so cramped. Additionally finishing the outside would be rather easy if so desired. You can even make pitched roofs with large overhangs to shade the lower walls from the sun. The list goes on and on with some creative thinking.

These are ideal for Detroit... they're bulletproof.