Shipping containers are one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, and their utility has only expanded since the development of containerised logistics in the middle of the century. Whilst primarily still used as a standard storage unit for moving vast quantities of inventory around the world, you can also find a shipping container for sale to be used for converting into a wide variety of functions from restaurants to apartments. Because of the versatility of the containers, some used containers may still have contents inside, some of which are exceptionally strange. Here are so ..read more

Long gone are the days when shipping containers were just used to transport large goods from one part of the world to another. Over the last few years, they have been rediscovered as a great source of units that can be used to showcase goods, store items, and provide entertainment. Here are just some of the most popular uses of shipping containers these days: - Pop-up shops As the popularity of the high street continues to wane, it can be risky for retailers to invest in permanent space. Therefore, many are choosing to have pop-up shops that are temporary, which enable them to gauge how much i ..read more

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To buy a used shipping container in the UK and convert it to a completely different use is not just to show a bit of creativity; it is to help make the world a greener place and advance the cause of sustainability. Nowhere has this been recognised more than in the case of a London hotel made from recycled containers, which has been nominated for a sustainability award, Circular Online reports. The Stow-Away Waterloo has been shortlisted in the GrINN Awards for the Best Sustainable Aparthotel in Europe and Best Sustainable City Hotel categories by Quartz Inn hotels. The hotel is up against comp ..read more

A man who has lived happily in a home made from a recycled shipping container has been evicted by his local council on a legal technicality. Stephen Gibbons has lived in the property, located on land at Lighthouse Farm in St Brides near Newport in Monmouthshire, since 1992 and brought up four children there, ensuring the home has a treasure trove of memories as well as being an established, liveable space. His neighbours like him and have no problem with his unusual residence, but Newport City Council has taken a very different view and has ordered him to leave within six months. The reason fo ..read more

Over the past few years, one of the biggest news stories in the world of logistics involved the price of shipping containers. With so many goods being shipped around the world, the demand for containers has increased exponentially, but alongside people looking for a shipping container for sale for its designed purpose, there is also a tremendous rise in the popularity of shipping container conversions. The standardisation, stackability and modular nature of shipping containers make them ideal for use as a building material, and there are countless innovative examples of shipping containers bei ..read more

A pop-up shipping container market has opened in Belfast, making use of a site formerly occupied by a cinema. Trademarket has moved into the site on Dublin Road, where once film fans would go to the Movie House cinema, the BBC reports. Many innovative traders across the UK have decided to buy a used shipping container to set up a trading post in their local town or city, with Trademarket showing that Northern Ireland’s largest city is no exception. In this case, the fact the outlets can be moved is important as the containers, from which traders sell items such as food and clothing, have led a ..read more

Now that the weather is heating up, the idea of an outdoor swimming pool to cool down in sounds very appealing. While there is currently a lack of such venues in the UK, there could be more popping up in the future, inspired by a town in Canada that turned a shipping container into a refreshing pool. Ville-Marie borough in Montreal recently opened La Piscinette in Jos-Montferrand Park. The shipping container was filled with salt water and situated at the corner of rue du Havre and rue Sainte-Catherine, ,MTL Blog reported. It is hoped the temporary pool will allow locals to cool off, as it can ..read more

Brighton residents could benefit from a yoga studio and café if plans are approved by the council. Westfield Investments has applied for permission to put a two-storey shipping container on St Peter’s Street, just off Providence Place Gardens, on the site’s existing car park, Brighton and Hove News reported. The development company bought the corner of Belmont Street and Cheapside from Brighton and Hove City Council in 2020, with the majority of the site being occupied by offices. According to Lewis & Co Planning, which wrote the application, the yoga studio will help transform the area, w ..read more

The use of shipping containers as food and drink outlets has become a popular way of repurposing these huge metal items in recent years, both because of the green aspect of recycling and the fact that it does offer practical solutions of offering usable structures for such purposes. Add to that the novelty of the re-use of a container for a very different utility to the one it once served and it is hardly a surprise that such installations can prove wildly popular. Edinburgh Live has revealed one café in former containers has proved such a hit it is now going to expand. Drift Café, which was o ..read more