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Construction of the 350-square-metre container house took just 8 months compared to a year or more, pointing out one of the many benefits of prefabricated construction. It also cost a 1/3 less. The site was first cleared of loose clay and rocks, and concrete retaining walls were erected to enclose the living areas on the ground level. Outdoor stairs at one end lead up to a side deck, with an open container serving as a cantilevered lap pool. To support the upper level, a massive steel cross­beam and posts anchor the containers that line up in four side-by-side volumes, each with its own viewfinder window at either end. The containers were trucked to the site and then cut and welded before being craned into place. Polyurethane was sprayed on, and the entire structure was clad in steel plates.

Architect: Sebastián Irarrázaval
Area: 350 sq m
Containers: 12 shipping containers: six 20-foot (6-m) units, five 40-foot (12-m) units and open-top shipping container for swimming pool.
Location: Santiago, Chile
Year: 2012
Photography: Sergio Pirrone

12 Shipping Container Home, - Caterpillar Residence, - Lo Barnechea, Santiago de, Chile,

Santiago Dramatically backs up to the Andes Mountains, and a growing number of affluent residents are heading for the foothills in search of fresh air and green space. To limit urban sprawl, no construction is permitted above 1,000 meters. Naturally, That benchmark has Become a desirable location, and the local architect Sebastian Irarrázaval has joined other architects in building houses That respond to the challenging topography. His latest, constructed out of shipping containers, has been dubbed the Caterpillar House (House Track), for the way its elongated volumes tilt up and down the steeply sloping site.
The house uses raw steel and exposed concrete in the same direct way Irarrázaval employed them for a design school I built in 2010, at Chile's Pontifical Catholic University. "I want to do That buildings are simple and strong," I Explains. I Became fascinated With The structural potential of shipping containers When I designed a pavilion for the Chilean Biennale in 2000. For the event, I have containers stacked four high and cut away the fronts to frame various architectural exhibits. Since then, I've developed the concept on a smaller scale with two houses. Caterpillar House, though, carries the notion much Further by utilizing 12 containers in a richly varied composition where every room is open to light and air.

Construction of the 350-square-metre container house took just 8 months compared to a year or more, pointing out one of the many benefits of prefabricated construction. It also cost a 1/3 less. The site was first cleared of loose clay and rocks, and concrete retaining walls were erected to enclose the living areas on the ground level. Outdoor stairs at one end lead up to a side deck, with an open container serving as a cantilevered lap pool. To support the upper level, a massive steel cross­beam and posts anchor the containers that line up in four side-by-side volumes, each with its own viewfinder window at either end. The containers were trucked to the site and then cut and welded before being craned into place. Polyurethane was sprayed on, and the entire structure was clad in steel plates.

Architect: Sebastián Irarrázaval
Area: 350 sq m
Containers: 12 shipping containers: six 20-foot (6-m) units, five 40-foot (12-m) units and open-top shipping container for swimming pool.
Location: Santiago, Chile
Year: 2012
Photography: Sergio Pirrone