The New York City Department of Housing issued the first certificate for a home built from decommissioned shipping containers on February 28 this year. Michelle Bertomen, professor of architecture at New York Institute of Technology, and her husband David Boyle were the designer, customer and contractor of the project..
In 2008, the couple acquired a 20 x 40-foot building plot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Calculating that the construction of an ordinary, typical house on such a site would require an investment of at least half a million dollars, the couple decided to purchase three decommissioned shipping containers at a price of $ 1,500 apiece. By connecting three metal boxes with a flight of stairs, they received a living space of about 150 square meters, however, during the construction and finishing process, the project attracted the attention of the city department of housing, and the spouses received an order with many restrictions and a ban on further construction and operation of the house.
The spouses estimate the cost of the project at about $ 300,000, not counting the additional $ 100,000 that went to settle legal formalities and implement the requirements of the construction department. The containers are insulated with an eco-friendly Super Term insulator, and the outside is painted with a special paint that blocks the sun’s rays and prevents excessive heating of the metal. The house is equipped with a water circuit for floor heating.
The house is intended to be used as a non-profit guest house for students and musicians and to be part of an urban social project aimed at improving living standards in Williamsburg..
