yasutaka yoshimura architects: ex container project, anywhere, japan

‘ex container project’ by yasutaka yoshimura architects, anywhere, japan image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

in response to calls for disaster relief housing after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged japan, architect yasutaka yoshimura has created a series of shipping container shelters that remain low-cost and high-quality. while the architect had started to use the modular units in the ‘bayside marina hotel’ project, but the full-fledged prototype contains prefabricated interior and exterior finishes and have the ability to become permanent architecture.

the 20 foot by 20 foot containers can be paired to contain a program of kitchen, living room, bathroom and sleep spaces; however the permanent proposal, valued at a modest 60,000 USD, uses an interval unit that allows the home to total a 60 square meter area with the same program. a two-story intermediate typology is intended to adapt to smaller site areas. the design is part of a greater aim to use existing materials while maintaining a sensitivity to communities that had remain in close physical proximity decade after decade.

view of the double-container prototype that was used as a first response image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

units are prefabricated and shipped accordingly image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

the project aims to strike a delicate balance between disaster relief, sustainability and community conservation image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

richly grained wood clads the interior space image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

interior view of the convertible module image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

space outfitted with sink image © yasutaka yoshimura architects

section and plan view image © yasutaka yoshimura architects