Inside the ultra-modern R6-million Cape Town home built using shipping containers

Deen Gabriel
Jul 26, 2021
2 min read

A new ultra-modern home in Fishhoek, Cape Town, shows what is possible by using recycled shipping containers and great design.

Ayla Damon from Poche Architectural Concepts designed the home. She partnered with Mick Murphy from Murphy Projects on the project.

The property features a 270 square meter main home with a triple garage and additional dwelling. It also has a large pool and entertainment deck.

Damon said using recycled containers cut down on building time and used fewer construction resources.

“Using containers for construction enabled us to work with the steep site to create stepped terraced indoor and outdoor areas,” she said.

They approached the placement of the house based on existing portions that had been excavated for another proposed project by the previous owner.

Concrete footings were cast after the site preparations were completed. Steel columns and beams were then set in place to create the supporting framework for the containers.

After this, the containers were craned into place and welded in position. They were prepared off-site to avoid delays.

Once the containers were in place, they were kitted out, and the central hybrid floor area was constructed to tie the 3 x 12m containers together.

The large framework of the roof structure then went up, which created large overhangs to shelter the area of glazing to the north side.

Once the full shell of the house was completed and sealed off, the remainder of the ceilings, flooring, and fixtures were fitted.

“The great thing about building with containers is the offsite construction which saves the client on time and labour,” Damon said.

Another benefit was that the house could be moved forward on the yard because the containers were constructed on steel columns.

Moving the house forward ensured that no view of the Fishhoek bay would be interrupted.

This project showed that container homes do not have to look like an affordable alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar houses.

For this project, the client’s biggest wish was to expose as much of the containers as possible as they form an integral part of the design.

“None of the exteriors of the containers were cladded, and in the main living and dining space, you can see the black painted container revealing itself,” Damon said.

The Fishhoek project cost approximately R6 million, but Damon said people should keep in mind that any project’s cost depends on site conditions, the size of the project, and finishes.

“The Fishhoek home was set on a steep site which meant additional site work was needed, including retaining walls, which increased the price,” she said.

“However, to build a similar house using brick and mortar would have increased the cost of the project exponentially.”

The images below show the ultra-modern container home in Fishhoek, Cape Town.