Seattle architects Robert Humble and Joel Egan wanted to change the prefab housing industry. So they founded Team HyBrid , a collective of architects and artists leading the "cargotecture" movement - prefab housing using cargo shipping containers. It's the ideal in sustainable development - there's an abundance of cargo containers, plus the homes can quickly be installed and removed. My hairdresser a couple months ago told me about HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style" feature on their "Studio 320," a studio apartment made from two shipping containers. Surprisingly, the studio's interior looks quite swanky. Rocks collect rainwater, which are channeled into rain barrels for the shower, sink and toilet, and solar panels provide the studio's electricity. Team HyBrid proposed "cargotecture" for a redevelopment along the Seattle waterfront and in Portland, and have protypes for global housing and entire cargo communities.
Seattle architects making homes from cargo containers
Seattle architects Robert Humble and Joel Egan wanted to change the prefab housing industry. So they founded Team HyBrid , a collective of architects and artists leading the "cargotecture" movement - prefab housing using cargo shipping containers. It's the ideal in sustainable development - there's an abundance of cargo containers, plus the homes can quickly be installed and removed. My hairdresser a couple months ago told me about HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style" feature on their "Studio 320," a studio apartment made from two shipping containers. Surprisingly, the studio's interior looks quite swanky. Rocks collect rainwater, which are channeled into rain barrels for the shower, sink and toilet, and solar panels provide the studio's electricity. Team HyBrid proposed "cargotecture" for a redevelopment along the Seattle waterfront and in Portland, and have protypes for global housing and entire cargo communities.
I was interested in how they are remodeled, but the website has many loading errors, including overlapping windows and windows that don't close.
There's a modular apartment in a similar idea downtown on the roof deck of Rainier Square. They're stackable so you can add apartments on top of existing buildings in the future. Made me think of communist block-apartment housing.
The shipping container makes me think of "The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Classic book.
I checked out their website and I thought it was cool. It looks to have been made using Macro Media tools. It uses lots of pictures. I checked out all the links and they all worked for me with Windows IE. If you had problems with the website its probably because your web browser doesnt work with Macro Media, or perhaps your connection was too slow. I thought it was slick.
Hi Liza,
We are not 'team hybrid' or even 'hybridseattle' but simply 'HyBrid'.
Here is the comment I would like to post:
Thank you from Joel at HyBrid for the great thoughts and comments by all. HyBrid is a small international firm based in Seattle, focused on sustainable, high-tech, and modern/modular architecture.
The firm led by me Egan and Robert Humble does many building systems like wood modular (inhabit), wood kit (core- the 99k house), and steel pre-engineered (stownhoust). We only dabble in the container stuff (which HyBrid coined and has since trademarked as 'cargotecture'). Some of our works are site built kits. We also ship wood panelized but typically factory build the modular architecture and ship it to you plug and play. Whether wood or steel modular works are more complex to plan permit and do but in the case of HyBrid's cargotecture line one may relocate structure many times over many decades of ownership. Site built beats the cost of prefab custom. Prefab routinely beats a site built project on time and cost control, where the all-in cost is generated by the broad specialized work it takes to detail and factory permit, plus applying the client's choice of interiors and components. It generally takes a good sense of budget, financing, land status, and time line to prepare for any new home by contacting an architect. Thanks for your interest; please also see our website www.hybridseattle.com. - Joel Egan