Offices made from bricks and water are becoming a thing of the past, as a construction company have utilised ex-shipping containers by turning them into an inventive and original office space.
Clugston Construction, who are based in Scunthorpe, have completed an £11.2 million project to create 10,000 sq ft of office space in Sunderland, using 37 used freight containers. The construction stands at 3 storeys high and will become the new office for Sustainable Enterprise Strategies (SES), who support and develop social and community enterprises in the Scunthorpe area. Office space will also be offered within the structure for start-up businesses in the area.
Speaking of their office move, Mark Heskett Saddington, SES Director, said: “We chose this unusual method of construction because it’s sustainable and appropriate.
“SES is committed to the principle of reduce, re-use and recycle and of course Sunderland has a long association with shipping. It’s also a relatively quick and low cost construction method.”
The shipping containers belonged to Waste Saving Expert, who was assisted by SES as a business start-up. It is estimated that the 37 freight containers have on average been in use for the last two decades, transporting various goods all over the world, and have travelled over one million miles in total.
The project took just six months to complete, even though Clugston Construction did encounter difficulties with moving the shipping containers around. The company worked closely with local commercial properties and residents to try and keep any disruption as minimal as possible.
Speaking of the office project, Steve Waggett, Construction Regional Manager, stated: “We are extremely pleased to have been chosen to develop such an exciting scheme. Not only is it an innovative use of freight containers that may have otherwise been scrapped or left unused, but it is a sustainable project that will benefit the local community in the long term.
“The designers and consultants worked very closely with the site team and supply chain, to ensure the difficult and finite details were fully discussed and managed through to completion.”
Would you want to work in an ex-shipping container? Or do you prefer the have bricks and mortar around you rather than metal?
