When Christopher Betjemann was granted a patent for building the world’s first shipping container home in 1965, little did he know that it would be a solution for the mounting housing crisis that would face the world five decades later. Cheaper and far more flexible than conventional brick-and-mortar structures, these have been around in India for several years. And with today’s property prices hitting the roof, they are the answer to our hunt for cheaper, sturdy homes. The latest to join the bandwagon is Bengaluru-based Square Plums, which builds luxury homes and co-working spaces with containers, and recently launched their first model home. They will start the handover process for the first 250 homes by the end of July.
The box life
Founded by Rajesh Kotta and Hemant Attray, the homes at Square Plums — costing anywhere between ₹5.5 and ₹8 lakh — are made-to-order, and come completely furnished. Kotta, who spent most of his life in Europe, says he “wanted to tackle accommodation issues singles were facing in Bengaluru”. He realised prices of rental properties were high, so started off by providing accommodation to bachelors on a shared basis in gated communities. “But this lacked privacy and we discovered the need for affordable and furbished one-bedroom apartments. We then zeroed in on building with sturdy shipping containers that we source from ports across the world,” he says.
Looking back
In India, the concept took root in the 90s: we had Rajasingh Chelladurai who built India’s first recycled shipping container cottages in Sivakasi (1996). Chelladurai sourced containers from the docks of Tuticorin, and their flexible design made them popular. Following suit, his daughter, Vichitra, later went on to build a restaurant in Madurai, the Bell Tiffin Box, with them.
Made to order
With realty prices soaring, are shipping containers the answer to cheaper homes? Kotta confirms how opting for them cuts costs drastically. “Constructing a traditional house takes over 18 months, whereas a container home can be ready in two weeks, if the plan is approved,” he says.
The compact, ready-to-move-in houses are equipped with multi-functional furniture that save space: a bed that can be pulled up and turned into a work table, a bay window that doubles up as seating. As containers come in various sizes, you also have the option of customising. “We can create more rooms and even add a staircase,” says Kotta, who plans on creating these homes in other cities too.
With walls built with six inches of insulation and marine ply, and bathrooms with thick glass, Kotta ensures the homes are summer-proof. While they have used new containers for their first few projects, he is also open to using recycled ones for future projects.
Square Plums uses multiples of 160 sq ft and 200 sq ft sized containers for homes and studios. One and two bedroom houses come in the 320 to 400 sq ft range. For details, visit squareplums.com.
