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Living in a home with steel bars is tantamount to living in a cage
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Shipping containers, being constructed of steel, offer an inherently natural way of protecting the home from unwanted intrusion.
Where do old containers end up? In Cuidad Colon (west of San José), it appears, in what is believed to be the first use of multiple containers to house a commercial strip plaza that includes a gym, organic shop and a soda (small restaurant) that serves smoothies.
The commercial centre is made of six containers and is the creation of Dian Lietón. (See video below)
The use of containers construct housing, outdoor bathrooms and offices (Shipping container architecture) is not new in Costa Rica. In the last several years the use of metal containers has been gaining strength.
The Lieton company is called Containers Costa Rica which buys use shipping containers to help the plant, by using them in construction that also saves “a lot of time” and money compared to traditional building construction.
The use of containers is due to their being able to be transformed into stylish modern structures that are expandable and saves space, becoming an alternative to traditional space provisions.
ContainersHome.net (located in San Ramón) says container homes are more secure and resistant the traditional home built in Costa Rica.
ContainersHome.net says that living in a home with steel bars is tantamount to living in a cage. Shipping containers, being constructed of steel, offer an inherently natural way of protecting the home from unwanted intrusion. This protection is provided by the use of the pieces of the original structure that were cut out for the windows and doors.
Leitón explains that, in addition to requiring less land (smaller lot means lower overall price), using containers as compared to traditional construction can save up to 30% or more.
The commercial centre called Villa Tainer should be ready by mid November that will include a “green roof”, where hundreds of plants will adorn and give the metal structure a more natural look.
Examples of construction using metal shipping containers:
