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Shipping Container Hybrid House and Photo Studio

This is a project by ecotechdesign and it is located at Joshua Tree, California, United States. Project's program: Residence and studio. There are twenty images for Shipping Container Hybrid House and Photo Studio.

: © Jack Parsons Photography

Project details

Project name: Shipping Container Hybrid House and Photo Studio
Location: Joshua Tree, California, United States
Program: Residence and studio
Area: Built-up area: 2,300 sf
Year: Completion: 2011
Client: Tim Palen Photography Studio
Project by: ecotechdesign
Team: Principal designer: Water Scott Perry
Others: Contractor: ecotechbuild

Project images

Designer's statement

A container hybrid house prototype, also known as the Tim Palen Studio at Shadow Mountain is a 2nd generation pre-fab design for a residence and workplace developed by ecotechbuild. This kit-like housing product is being offered for the first time to homeowners who want more than what is currently available with pre-fab and manufactured housing, even custom construction.

Some of its unique features include:

Hybrid House Design: Based on the efficient Prius automobile engineering concept, the hybrid house concept combines diverse pre-engineered building and energy Page 2 of 3 conservation features to maximize efficiency and cost savings, while offering architectural design flexibility and variation.
All Recycled Steel Construction: The project is composed of diverse steel components, including: six (6) repurposed ISO containers, a Butler pre-engineered building, a 10,000 gallon steel water tank, and a metal shade canopy with integrated steel framing system that provides extraordinary strength, earthquake, fire and wind protection, as well as large window and door openings to maximize natural daylighting, ventilation, and cooling.
Solar Home Shading System: A bolt-on, adjustable steel frame and shade system creates 50% solar heat, glare and wind reduction on the building, and solar breezeway that allows for plug-in attachment of future solar electric and water heating panel arrays.
Living Roof: Movable, bolt and add-on modules use greywater irrigation and are planted with native desert plants and sedums to absorb heat, glare, dust and CO2.
Water Conservation: Integrated greywater, water harvesting and storage systems.
Reduced Costs: Finished construction costs at 50% of equivalent, locally available, prefab alternatives.

This hybrid house consists of cargo containers and pre-engineered steel building components that can be erected and combined together at the site, often in less than an hour.