Flexible And Modern Community Center In Shanghai Made Of Shipping Containers

Shipping containers introduce a whole new dimension to architecture as we know it. They are affordable and they allow for flexible and easy-to-build designs to be created. It’s why they are currently used in a variety of projects, from residential spaces to playhouses and public structures. A very interesting project in this sense was the Shanghai Gucun community center.

Shanghai community shipping container design9

Designed by the architects from INCLUDED, the center was designed to be affordable, mobile, scalable and highly flexible.

Shanghai community shipping container design9

It serves the marginalized migrants of Shanghai and it can be easily moved around with the community in case they are forced to move. The project was completed in 2013 and it used shipping containers donated by OOCL.

Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9

The containers have been individually renovated and they are detachable and transportable. The community center was designed to serve a large variety of functions so it needed to have a flexible design and structure.

Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9
Shanghai community shipping container design9

Four shipping containers put together can form a large classroom and a room divider can turn them into two separate rooms to serve as teaching areas. The furniture used inside is flexible and versatile as well. It can be structured into many different configurations to serve the immediate purpose.{found on archdaily}.