architecture :: thinking inside the box

Even though they are coregated metal shipping containers, these cheery little homes just south of the border are JUST COOL! Responding to a need for affordable housing in an impoverished community of cardboard clad shacks in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, young architect Brian McCarthy took a detour from building houses in Albuquerque to turning shipping containers into clean efficient homes for deserving, hardworking people.

He was astounded by the living conditions that he witnessed, driving through the booming town. "It was amazing to me that in an area where there was such growth and economic prosperity, that these employees of Fortune 1000 companies were living in such poor conditions," he said.

These freshly painted 320 square feet spaces cost roughly $8,000 when completed and feature a modern galley-style kitchen with stove, sink, refrigerator and dinette, and a 48-square-foot bathroom, a bunk area for children a separate "master" bedroom for the owners.

What is the American dream here, is soon becoming a realized dream in Juarez. "With our design and with our price point, we think we'll at least be able to take the first step of getting more families into more homes" and formal property ownership," McCarthy said. Read more about these shipping container homes here. They're JUST COOL!

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