Non-shipping Uses
Containers have been used for other purposes at the end of their voyaging lives. Permanent or semi-permanent placement for storage is common. A container has 8,000 lb (3,629 kg) of steel which takes 8,000 kWh (28,800 MJ) of energy to melt down. Repurposing used shipping containers is increasingly a real solution to both social and ecological problems.
Shipping container architecture is employing used shipping containers as the main framing of modular home designs, where the steel may be an integrated part of the design, or be camouflaged into a traditional looking home. They have also been used to make temporary shops, cafes, and computer datacenters (see Sun Modular Datacenter).
Read more about this topic: Intermodal Container