| Video |
| Construction |
| About Containerwerk |
| Project | Research Station Costa Rica |
| Architect and Builder | Containerwerk |
| Client | Rausch Schokoladen GmbH |
| Containers | 4 |
| Installation Time | 4 days |
| Year | 2019 |
| Location | Costa Rica |
This beautiful cocoa research station in Costa Rica is made out of four 40-foot shipping containers, which were mechanically foamed and upgraded in Germany and insulated according to EnEV standards.
Two containers form the basis. Two further containers are placed crosswise to each other. The upper two containers contain sleeping and living units for up to eight people. Large glass elements are inserted at the ends of the containers, with a view over the rainforest and the cocoa plants. The entire upper floor is surrounded by a terrace made of regional wood.
On the ground floor, half of a shipping container is equipped as a bathroom and changing area for the workers on site. The other half contains the fully equipped laboratory where Rausch can conduct research. The second container on the ground floor becomes the lounge with a kitchen area and large dining table and a couch area. A meeting place for everyone. The two containers are about six meters apart. In this space a garage will be installed.
The cocoa estate lies in the middle of the jungle and within a biotope network. Since the Rausch GmbH in Costa Rica basically pursues an ecological concept, the construction of the estate from used shipping containers is an obvious option. Due to the high degree of prefabrication of the containers in Germany, there are hardly any construction emissions on site, such as noise, dust or aisles for construction site logistics. The impact on the original nature of the region is kept to a minimum and the building can be dismantled at any time without leaving any residue. In addition, the solution is completely self-sufficient. This means that the buildings do not have to be connected to any infrastructure. Electricity is produced by a solar system and the building network has a septic tank. In a second stage, a water treatment plant will be installed. This means that research can be carried out completely independently and in the middle of the rainforest.
Video
Construction
The sea freight containers which were used by the Rausch GmbH to transport its cocoa beans across the oceans are now finding a new home and a new use in the rainforest. After the container modules have been manufactured in Containerwerk production halls, the containers are loaded onto a container ship in the port of Hamburg and set off on their journey to Puerto Limón in Costa Rica.
Four used sea freight containers are refined into living space modules in Germany by Containerwerk’s innovative technology. Insulated in accordance with the German Energy Saving Ordinance and ready to live, the containers are already being sent on another long journey. The destination is the port of Puerto Limón in Costa Rica. From there the containers will be transported to Tres Equis in the heart of Costa Rica’s jungle. On site, the modules will be built into a completely self-sufficient guesthouse and research institute for the Rausch Schokoladen GmbH in just a 4-day construction phase.
About Containerwerk
Convinced and fascinated by the idea of building with discarded sea freight containers, we initially focused on the component, the “brick” of this architecture, and developed a process that turns a container into a universal, sustainable housing module.
The spirit of research and entrepreneurship has been our impetus in developing our innovation in the insulation of container modules. With our engineers and our partner network, we continue to work and research on the optimization of our resource-saving construction modules.
The company CONTAINERWERK eins GmbH, with sites in Wassenberg and Stuttgart, employ innovative, automated, series production techniques to convert disused sea freight containers into long-lasting, high-quality living space. As a result, the company that was founded in 2017 is making increasing inroads into the market for contemporary building/living space modules. The container modules are characterised by a high degree of mobility.
We are a container plant. Developer, designer and maker. We have answers to housing shortages, inexpensive, resource-saving and contemporary living sought and found.
In the interests of the circular economy and ecological and social sustainability, Containerwerk acquires used ocean freight containers and refines the corpus into high-quality and inexpensive living space.
| Address | Forster Weg 40, 41849 Wassenberg, Germany | |
| Phone | +49 711 99889620 | |
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| Website | https://www.containerwerk.com |
Cocoa Research Station for Chocolate Manufacturing Company, Costa Rica