Shipping containers are the most conspicuous symbol of the globalized world economy – 20 or 40 feet of pure steel reduced to the essentials. They are robust, standardized, inexpensive, universally available, and quickly assembled. Whether as single units, piled on top of each other, or placed in a row, covered or cut open – contemporary architecture uses containers as extremely versatile elements for a great variety of contexts. Their esthetic of practicality accommodates minimalistic temporary solutions, experimental design concepts, as well as highly demanding and complex building structures. The contemporary projects presented in this volume showcase the many functional and creative faces of the utilization of containers. Almost everything seems possible in the developing field of container architecture.
