| Drawings/floor plans |
| Construction |
| About Benjamin Garcia Saxe |
| Project | Containers of Hope |
| Design | Benjamin Garcia Saxe |
| Builder | Owner, Self Built |
| Containers | 2 |
| Area | 100 sqm (1076 sqft) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Client | Peralta Family |
| Location | San Jose, Costa Rica |
| Photography | Andres Garcia Lachner |
A young couple dreamed of living in their own home 20 minutes outside of the city, where they could enjoy the natural landscape with their horses. They made the bold choice of exploring with architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe the possibility of creating an inexpensive shipping container home that allowed them to live the life they always dreamed of and be dept free. One of the important goals for architect was to provide customers with the spectacular views, the sunset, the sunrise, and overall create a feeling of home and comfort.
Description by architects
This house made of two shipping containers allowed the Peralta family to fulfill their dream of living outside of San Jose, enjoying the natural landscape and being close to their horses.
The Containers of Hope project was an experiment for both client and architect but it paid off and has become an internationally-renowned example of the creative beautiful design using shipping containers.
The containers are staggered and offer dual aspect views, meaning that the owners can enjoy the sun rise and sunset.
A roof between the two sections of the home is made from the scrap pieces of metal taken to make the windows; this not only creates an internal sensation of openness but also provides a cross ventilation which negatesthe need for air conditioning. The adventurous spirit of this project means that the owners are able to live debt-free in a beautiful landscape.
The final cost of the house (40,000USD) is lower than the cost of social housing provided for the poor in Costa Rica.
Perhaps this project begins to expose the importance of design as a tool to provide beauty and comfort with a very low budget in the 21st century, whilst using creativity to not only redefine a scrap material such a disused shipping container, but perhaps to even show that there are viable, low cost, passive alternatives of temperature control to adapt to a very intense tropical climate.
Already this proposal has began to spark a great deal of interest and could become one alternative to solve the issue of disposing of disregarded shipping containers in developing countries, as well as begin to solve the large gap which first time buyers encounter when purchasing a home.
Drawings/floor plans
Construction
About Benjamin Garcia Saxe
Studio Saxe brings structural form to ideas inspired by nature. Our team of Costa Rica architects combine local knowledge with international design, blending a modern, global aesthetic with local expertise that extends to craftsmanship, personal connections, and the sustainable sourcing of local materials. Clever design doesn’t require much added technology. True sustainability responds to natural conditions to minimize resource use and maximize beautiful sensory experiences.
Benjamin Garcia Saxe set up his own practice in San Jose, Costa Rica in 2004, with the aim of exploring our relationship with the natural environment through architecture. Since then, Studio Saxe has grown into an award-winning international practice made up of a multidisciplinary team, creating buildings and spaces by blending technological innovation with handcrafted techniques to form truly sustainable designs. Founded on the belief that buildings must connect to their landscape – whether a tropical paradise or a concrete jungle – Studio Saxe brings a global attitude to solve local problems. Ideas and techniques from around the world can be harnessed to benefit communities, both at home and abroad. Local traditions and identities are explored and developed, ensuring a process whereby we learn from the past and build for the future.
The dedicated architects and designers at Studio Saxe uncover new design solutions for every project, treating each building as an opportunity to improve methods and approaches, responding to specific places. Working alongside clients and collaborators, the studio continually seeks new forms and functions that blur the boundaries between natural habitats and inhabited space.
San Jose, Costa Rica
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| Address | Av 9, Nunciatura, San José, Costa Rica | |
| Postal Address | PO Box 206-1225, San Jose, Costa Rica | |
| Phone | +506 4030 6053 | |
| info@studiosaxe.com | ||
| Website | https://studiosaxe.com/ | |
London, United Kingdom | ||
| Postal Address | PO Box 6945, London W1A 6US, United Kingdom | |
| Phone | +44 203 807 6408 | |
Los Angeles, USA | ||
| Phone | +1 323 283 8233 | |
40,000 USD Shipping Container Home