Upcycling Shipping Containers as Building Components : an environmental impact assessment

The introduction of shipping containers in the trading system has increased world economic growth exponentially. The drawback of this linear economy consists in the accumulation of empty containers in import-based countries. Sustainable and green architecture should consider not only recycling but also upcycling and reuse of material. Therefore designers troughout the world are working with intermodal containers for environmental purposes. Moving from ethical considerations, it is possibile to determine whether container architecture is actually sustainable? The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of the use of shipping containers as building components from an environmetal point of view. A comparative life cycle analysis has been undertaken. Two benchmark technologies have been selected for this comparative analysis: a steel frame and an X-Lam structure. Three different scenarios have been developed in order to understand how climate can affect results of the study: hot-tropical, temperate and cold. A Life cycle Assessment has been used to evaluate 4 impact categories: Global Warming Potential, Ozone Depletion Potential, Acidification Potential and Eutrophication Potential.