Athens Church youth space, Athens, GA
In the January-February 2017 issue of Church Designer magazine (the print version that became Church.Design in February of 2018), writer Rachel Hayes reported on Athens Church in Athens, Ga. The church, planted by Atlanta-area North Point Ministries, set up its home in an adaptive reuse space. Its theme of repurposing carried into the interior design of the space, as well, in the form of shipping containers as individual gathering and prayer spaces for the church's youth. Find a link to the story at the end of this update on shipping container architecture.
A few summers ago, we encouraged a client to upcycle a container into their first paddle board rental facility, allowing us to fast-track it, optimize start-up budget, and ship a well-used “box” directly to the site. Recycled whitewashed pallets raised the roof, shaping a billboard parapet that helped announce the businesses beachfront presence. Being able to unfold, open and close the container allowed activity and boarders to sprawl out, creating a sense of sport and community. As a replicable model, branded containers could be dropped on multiple sites each season.
If we consider shipping containers as building blocks for a sustainable future, they can be used for just about anything – exterior structures that take advantage of the efficiency in stacking, interior containers can become gathering halls, classrooms, activity centers, Sunday School spaces....
Re-imagination & opportunity
Our first foray into container architecture piqued our curiosity. We wondered, how might this type of re-imagination and reuse foster a greater sense of community, pride and purpose. Mark Wille of Build Smart Chicago believes “abundantly available containers are ready to be saved.” Repurposing “boxes” inside his Off-Site Factory, Wille and his team see opportunity where others see waste. Chicago, like many urban cities, happens to have a plethora of containers – a sea of material goods waiting to be sourced.
We wondered, how might this type of re-imagination and reuse foster a greater sense of community, pride and purpose.
Wille sees each container as a raw canvas, ready to take on a new shape and purpose. “Playing with fire allows the cutting of steel to take place and a design to truly take shape. Careful cutting secures the new space, creating as many pieces or drops as needed. We can always use those again. It's really fun to open the doors of your mind and explore new ways of creating and building our world,” he shares.
Wille’s background in building science helps him understand the nature of comfort required for container design – how to insulate and how to help reduce energy costs.
Build Smart Chicago
The Build Smart Chicago team recently constructed a series of modules for a streetscape revitalization. Wille’s background in building science helps him understand the nature of comfort required for container design – how to insulate and how to help reduce energy costs. They prep the containers in the factory. “Travel is a process in our steps of construction. The inside is full of all the elements needed for the on-site portion of the project. Modules get loaded on the trailer and prepare for their new home while seeing the sites of Chicago along the drive.”
Mark Wille, Build Smart Chicago
On a recent project, container modules were delivered at the end of the day. “The morning was filled with chatter as local passers-by en route to their habitual destinations looked up and found a vacant lot now filled with the hustle and bustle of seven stores poised to open their doors.” Comments ranged from “Oh, this is good” to “What is it?” and finally “I Love it.” Finish work continues on site. It begins to engage the community in conversation about what’s happening and creates a sense of anticipation. On one container, Wille’s team added 44 corners that changed the box into a sculptural design, complete with a green roof and solar installation.
On one container, Wille’s team added 44 corners that changed the box into a sculptural design, complete with a green roof and solar installation.
If we consider shipping containers as building blocks for a sustainable future, they can be used for just about anything – exterior structures that take advantage of the efficiency in stacking, interior containers can become gathering halls, classrooms, activity centers, Sunday School spaces or, as Wille suggests, “courtyard enclosures or entry pavilions.” Lindsey Eton, President of Eco Achievers, an expert on green building pipes in that shipping containers could pop-up as places of worship that transport the church to the community, as opposed to the community going to the church.
It’s clear that Wille believes the transformative power of creating architecture “out of what we have,” musing “creating together from factory to site is my pleasure and flight. Reclaim our buildings and containers to your dream's delight.”
Poetry aside, Wille wanted the last word. “If you aren’t thinking green, you aren’t thinking.”
For more information on Build Smart Chicago, please contact Mark Wille at buildsmartchicago@gmail.com or 312.375.3254.
To chat to Lindsey Eton about passive homes or resilient and sustainable technologies, email her at Lindsey@ecoachievers.com.
Find the Athens Church feature project here: Athens Church, Athens, Ga.
