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AssetID: 35644132

Headline: Residential Building Made From 140 Shipping Containers

Caption: This new residential building is made of 140 shipping containers. Drivelines Studios is a residential building in Johannesburg, SA. Located in Maboneng, an area of recent urban transformation and renewal. New York-based design studio Lot-ek say "it responds to the post-apartheid generation’s desire to repopulate the city’s downtown through new models of urban living." The upcycled containers have been selected by colours to be left unpainted, with availability dictating the ultimate building colour. They were stacked and cut on site, and combined to form the units. A large diagonal cut-out, from the corner to the centre of each container long side, generates the large windows for the units on street and courtyard sides. Its repetition and mirroring generate the building façade pattern. Lot-ek explain: "Embracing the triangular geometry of the site, the building is conceived as a billboard where two separate volumes of residential units are hinged at the narrow east end of the lot, framing the social space of the open interior courtyard. As in a billboard, the building outer facades are straight and flush with the lot line while the facades in the inner courtyard are articulated by the staircases, the elevator tower and the bridges connecting all levels, and by the open circulation paths activated by the units spillover onto their outdoor space." The ground level is occupied by residential at the rear, retail along the Albertina Sisulu Road, and the private courtyard for the residents with planted areas and a pool. The six levels above are occupied by the residential units, all open plan studios varying in size between 300sqft and 600sqft. All units include an outdoor space along the courtyard facing walkways. "The building’ social intention and agenda is in line with the emerging urban community of its surrounding neighbourhood, taking an active role in the revitalisation, reactivation and reimagining of the city downtown," adds Lot-ek.

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