The Atira Women’s Resource Society is the first in Canada to use recycled shipping containers in a social housing development.
The society unveiled the 12-unit building made from recycled shipping containers on Alexander Street this morning.
The one-of-a-kind building will offer safe and affordable accommodations and the society says the building will make a tangible difference for women who have been living in poverty.
The units are small, just under 300 square feet, but they are tastefully decorated, and the women who move in will have all the comforts and warmth of home.
They each have a private bathroom, in-suite laundry and a kitchen — complete with a fridge, stove and dishwasher.
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There are an estimated 25 million containers around the world that need to be recycled, so the opportunities are boundless.
But the greatest advantage of these homes is their price – they are a third of the price of traditionally built wood and concrete housing for those in need.
“We pushed this as a concept to see if this would work,” says city councillor Kerry Jang. “Clearly, looking at the buildings today, it does work, and I can see more of it coming to our city.”
The project was inspired by the BC Hydro Home of the Future, which was displayed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSVShnYXM-M
Watch: Extended tour of the shipping container complex
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