Here at Lion Containers Ltd, we can either provide shipping containers for your own conversion project, or our Lion Containers (Fabrications) Ltd company can see the conversion through for you. Below, we give some of the main reasons why more and more of our customers are using recycled shipping containers for conversions. Why don’t you view some of our recent case studies for inspiration?

1. We sell new and used shipping containers – a closer look at the container industry’s green credentials
   

   By purchasing a used shipping container, you are recycling that container. Once it has been given a lick of paint, and converted into it’s intended use (or simply used for storage), no-one will ever know that it was pre-owned. Whether a container is new or used, it has already served its main purpose; that is,  by taking at least one trip by sea to transport cargo to the end location. Therefore, when a shipping container arrives in the UK for example, it ‘owes‘ nothing to the environment. Thus, if you buy recycled shipping containers, you are tapping into an excellent environmentally friendly construction material.

2. Transport Reduction – Containers can be placed on or near construction sites, hospital sites, universities, or disused land in big cities.

   By creating cheap, temporary housing, the carbon footprint and monetary costs of commuting can be cut for temporary construction workers, rural agricultural workers or students. Recycled modular containers are also a very affordable way of creating housing.
   A typical 40 foot container represents about 8,000 pounds of steel, which can require about 8,000 kilowatt-hours of energy to melt and re-manufacture. That’s about half of what a typical home uses in a year. As a result, buildings created from used shipping containers are excellent long-term carbon storage devices.

3. Modular Space Solutions – Containers are built to be stacked up high, so the higher they can be stacked, the less space they require

   Container City is a collection of London-area developments drawing on container techniques, perfected by a company called Urban Space Management. The first project was built in East London, in 2001. Container City creates environmentally friendly modular space solutions in a variety of building projects. These include include offices, retail shops, artists studios, a nursery, a youth centre, and a school, as well as housing. Urban Space Management states;
   “This modular technology enables construction times and cost to be reduced by up to half that of traditional building techniques, while remaining significantly more environmentally friendly“

4. Upcycled Shipping Containers – Now being used for hotels

   The Lego-like stack-ability of a shipping container means that multiple floors of modular cabins can be created very quickly, as well as keeping costs down.

5. Environmentally Friendly Adaptations

   Once converted, shipping containers can be lined, very easily, with either ply or aluminium (depending on the conversion). People may want to line their container for aesthetic reasons (e.g in an office or canteen), or to control temperature swings. Whatever the reason, by increasing temperature control, it is an extremely environmentally conscious thing to do.

    

6. More Ethical ‘Green’ Ideas
   

   Shipping containers are extremely strong. Hence, it is becoming increasingly popular for the flat roof to be used for solar panels. Other ingenious ethical ideas are creating a solar hot water roof, a moss roof, or even a garden. These are great ways to increase your positive environmental impact.

So we hope we have given you some food for thought here. We feature a wide range of conversions on this site, as well as on our fabrications company website. Please CLICK HERE for more information or call us on 0333 600 6260.