Thursday, July 14, 2011

Ship me off to France: shipping containers turned student housing in Le Havre

My love for the French got three little boosts today, just in time for Bastille Day.

First, I learned that the French call flip-flop shoes "les clap claps."  (Not that they would actually wear them, of course.)

Second, this free app from the Mac App store is a fun, easy way to brush up on your basic French vocab.  It also makes me feel like a genius, the way I can whiz right through the lessons.

And third, these shipping container dorm rooms in Le Havre, France.

 

 

Called the Cité A Docks, this complex with 100 units was created by Cattani Architects.  Each dorm is 24 square meters and includes a bathroom, a kitchen, free wifi, and the feeling like you just woke up at the beginning of Portal 2.

The building was raised from the ground so that even the first floor could have a bit of privacy, and the walls have been "coated with fire walls in reinforced concrete 40cm wide, and come within layers of rubber to dampen vibrations" in order to maximize heat and sound insulation, according to Contemporist. The exterior keeps the look of the separate containers, but unifies them by painting them all the same shade of metallic gray.

If I were a university student about to take up residence in these dorms, I'd be so excited I could barely contain myself.  (Ugh, just awful, I know.)  Still -- these little units are très cool, even if I'm not.

 

Via Reddit, Freshome, and Contemporist.

5 comments:

  1. I'm curious about how much these cost, it could be a good way to build cheap housing for people who aren't students too

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  2. It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
    blinds Leicester

    ReplyDelete
  3. These look good, small but with enough natural light and the space is well furnished.

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  4. excellent interior design blog! you've done really gr8 job! :) thanks for sharing..

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  5. Wow! You really have a brilliant ideas. I could not imagine shipping containers could be turned into a bedroom. Great. I like this.

    ReplyDelete

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