ARCHITECTURE: Not just your average shipping container.

Lately we have come across several articles showcasing the next generation of shipping container architecture. When this building material first became trendy more than a decade ago, it was a visual billboard for what a sustainability-minded designer wanted. One didn't have to tout all the individual recycled or otherwise sustainable elements, one merely had to look and see that whole portions of the structure were born-again. Shipping containers opened a larger dialogue regarding alternative sources for constructing our built environment, encouraging out-of-the-box designs (sorry, we couldn't resist).

The latest iteration is the pop-up restaurant and retail store. This article from the Smithsonian features Starbucks and other coffee retailers who have used the containers, which the coffee was originally exported with, to create portable, accessible and well-designed locations. These images are taken from the Smithsonian article linked above.

Starbucks in Tukwila, WA (Image: Starbucks)

Illy at the 2007 Venice Biennale

La Boite in Austin, TX (Image: Jeff Kauffman)

And why stop at one retailer? Boxpark Shoreditch is a London shopping mall made completely out of shipping containers. We first heard about it on Inhabitat, but here is a video from Boxpark's website:

Shipping container architecture may or may not be coming to a location near you. But we love and embrace the innovation behind the structures featured here.