Why shipping containers are key to place-making

When future generations reflect on the architecture of the early-21st century, it will likely be seen as the age of the skyscraper. Huge statements of wealth and power are positioned throughout major cities across the globe. These were constructed to cement their owner’s legacy, much as the pyramids and the Taj Mahal were. But what our successors won’t see are the eclectic structures that occupied the footprint of these buildings for a few short years, which perhaps offer a more honest reflection of our time. 

It is sometimes said millennials are less concerned with putting down roots or leaving a physical legacy than the generations before, which may account for the trend for temporary street markets and malls comprised of repurposed shipping containers scattered across London. 

Container yards are perfect playgrounds for the millennial. Often fitted out with recyclable materials, they appeal to their increasingly eco-conscious nature, and can be neatly repurposed to provide shops, bars, work hubs and even homes, with minimal overheads.

Credit for the first of these goes to Boxpark in Shoreditch, which has since expanded its presence across three locations and inspired similar set-ups throughout the city – not least the recently departed The Artworks, and ever-evolving Mercato Metropolitano, both around Elephant and Castle in south London. 

The repurposed shipping container business is thriving (Pinterest is swimming in shipping container inspiration). No longer left to rust on the shoreside, stacks are being imported into derelict sites to provide “meanwhile’’, or temporary uses, while the landowners tease their ultimate goal (invariably some sort of tall, glass-curtained structure) through the planning system, after which the containers can be dismantled overnight.

Container yards offer an easy win for local councils by offering genuinely affordable space for fledging businesses. 

Local plan policies have picked up on the success of these markets and actively encourage “meanwhile’’ uses, new street markets and the provision of small retail units within larger schemes to accommodate a more diverse tenant mix. 

Also read: Sea Containers House 

These temporary developments also have the potential to inform longer-term planning for an area - data could be drawn to identify what mix of uses best encourages footfall, investment and social integration. This could consequently be fed into planning conditions, section 106 obligations, site designations and, for land owned by the local authority, leases.  

The speed with which these temporary structures can be built could also offer councils an opportunity to test-run policy ideas in the real world, before committing to concrete foundations. 

Such is the success of these container parks that they can help create a buzz in an area undergoing regeneration, attracting people to move there. Of course, many of these sites are allocated for housing and due to be redeveloped within the next five-to-10 years. This risks the loss of the vital amenities which first attracted this influx of residents to the area.  

Understandably, the ultimate priority for most councils at present is to squeeze as much affordable housing out of a site as possible – which of course developers are generally keen to resist. The upshot is delay and increased costs for all concerned. 

Those who possess an ounce of the interest in shipping containers, which I appear to have, will likely have come across the growing calls for their use to address the housing crisis. In Ealing, the council has created a small village to house the homeless as emergency accommodation.

News reports on this initiative range from the very positive to actual accounts of people housed there who describe the conditions as akin to living outside. However, it is fair to say the containers in this instance are very basic. With a little more money thrown at them, it is possible to put together very nice homes which are no smaller than your average London new-build. 

Containers can easily be amalgamated, underfloor heating installed, additional stories added, and, with the benefit of some cladding, you would be hard pushed to recognise their origins. This can be achieved extremely quickly at minimal cost.  

This is not to say that upcycled shipping containers should be lauded as the pinnacle of 21st century innovation and design. While they may be in vogue now, it’s fair to say that in the future we may well recoil in horror at the amount of time we spent in these structures. This is especially pertinent considering there are thousands of retail and residential units with actual plumbing across the country that sit empty. However, temporary structures do offer the advantage of being incredibly adaptable and mistakes can be dismantled without the need for a wrecking ball. 

Councils would be wise to consider experimenting with allocating sites for permanent temporary uses, thereby encouraging innovation and adaptability. While permanent housing is undoubtedly important, planning requires more than houses and office buildings. White elephants may be beautiful, but they will find it difficult to survive if all the local watering holes dry out.

Joanna Bassett is an associate at Taylor Wessing