Housing Refugees in Shipping Containers

It was only a matter of time before someone put the two together: refugees and shipping containers. It started in Hamburg Germany, and now the idea is taking hold in Helsinki Finland. Finland has taken over 7,000 refugees in October (3,600 less than the previous month), and just last week 2,000 more arrived. In all, they expect to welcome some 30,000 - 35,000 in total. A short months ago tents we suitable welcome centers and housing solutions, however the arctic weather is creeping in and tents typically don’t maintain heat well. The solution is to deploy shipping containers as temporary housing solutions. Containers make a lot of sense in this application as they’re durable, easy to maintain, and can be deployed, and removed, quickly.

Durable Housing

In their native setting, shipping containers are highly durable; and depending on how they are converted into housing they can be designed to carry this trait into their new life as a temporary residence. Simple windows can be cut into the sides of containers, and interior partitions can be built to provide additional privacy. The steel walls and doors are difficult to damage without some type of implement or tool, and the flooring has been designed to carry a great amount of weight. Easy to Maintain Both the interior and exterior of a shipping container can be maintained with as little as a garden hose and broom, and if constructed with vinyl walls and flooring the container housing will be reluctant to stains and damages caused by everyday life. Refugee camps typically don’t have all of the amenities of home, so it’s expected that the housing must be able to withstand a higher level of wear and tear, and a container housing solution can be constructed cost effectively to live up to this very purpose.

Quick Construction and Removal

In the event of an international crisis, refugees and asylum seekers typically arrive in mass, and the host nation doesn’t have a great amount of time to plan for the event. Shipping container housing can be constructed anywhere, and moved to the location where it is most needed. Once on site, the housing just needs to be connected to a power source and possible water and it’s a fully operational housing unit. Include stairs and the units can be stacked several high to reduce the geographic footprint. As the situation improves, or more suitable housing is located, the container housing can be disassembled and moved to another location.

ContainerAuction.com is an online marketplace for new and used shipping containers, and the sellers listed on the site have the capacity to provide shipping containers on a local, national, and in some cases and international level. To learn more about converting shipping containers in to short term refugee housing please contact any of the active sellers directly through the listing pages, or contact the staff at ContainerAuction.com directly.