Shipping Container Residence

Harmon Hills, Texas, USA

The house, a retreat home for a Houstonian couple, had two simple guidelines: a connection to the Central Texas Landscape and it had to be built out of shipping containers. The home is composed of 10 containers arranged and stacked to create a two level courtyard home.

The design for the Container Home delves to maximize Central Texas great climate and beautiful open landscapes that surround it. Large window openings to the north and west help bring in nature into the interior. While the western and southern openings are smaller or covered in order to minimize solar heat gain, focusing instead of the framing of specific moments.

The home maximizes the great outdoor weather that the region has most of the year by creating great outdoor rooms. The covered porch acts as a secondary living room and dining area. The courtyard, with its fire pit feature, becomes an area for hosting guests. The design also includes private spaces for enjoying nature, as is the case with the deck that is only accessible through the master bedroom.

The Central Texas landscape is not only around the house, but also become a part of it through a series of green roofs and planters that incorporates nature into the home itself.