Advantages and disadvantages of container office?
Updated: Mar 14, 2022
The benefit of the cask business
Over the past few years, there has been a massive growth in using shipping containers to buildstructures. Their flexibility, quality, price, availability and many other factors weigh in to give shipping containers a special role in modern day constructions.
There are many types of buildings that can take advantage of a shipping container’s unique attributes, and among these types, there are shipping container offices. Just as is the case with any other type of building, there are good things and not so good things about shipping container offices. Here in this article, we will talk about why shipping container offices are good, and what are some of their drawbacks.
What Makes a Shipping Container Office Good?
They are mobile: These days, there are many businesses which require mobile offices, and normal type buildings do not offer this option at all. Among mobile type offices, shipping containers can be the best possible choice, since they are so similar to stationary offices and they are so durable. Shipping containers are built to last; they can endure very harsh weather conditions and do so while carrying a considerable amount of weight. You can even move a great number of shipping containers and set up a full office overnight to make sure your work will continue at the new location without stopping.
They are cheap: This was one of the first reasons why the world turned to shipping containers for buildings. They are very sturdy for the price they are offered. Much has been said about the great economics of using shipping containers to build offices. Let’s just say there is no other type of building that can offer this much for this little price. You also save a lot of money because of the little time and labor it takes to set up a shipping container office.
They are environment friendly: There are so many unused shipping containers around the world. On many occasions, it’s far more convenient for shipping companies to just buy new shipping containers instead of shipping the used ones back. That means millions of shipping containers are waiting to find purpose, and using them for building structures can be a great recycling method. You can also recycle them for other uses after you’re done with them. And since they are usually smaller than normal offices, they take less resources to maintain.
They are highly customizable: A shipping container office can be absolutely however you want it to be. There are very few limits on what you can do with them. From big extravagant stationary offices to very small portable ones, your shipping container office can be changed as much as you would desire and serve the exact purpose it is required to. From their functions to their looks, shipping containers can be modified, and that flexibility is among their best qualities.
They can fit almost anywhere: Shipping containers are made to be moved around, so it is also important for them to be able to fit in tight spaces, so you can put them anywhere, including your backyard, your new construction site, and even inside other buildings. They could be taken apart and reassembled with relative ease to make them fit inside other buildings as well.
They require less planning permission than normal offices: If you are considering building an office in your backyard, your garden, or any other space, you usually need a planning permit to do so. The laws of planning permits vary greatly around the world, so what we say cannot be applied to every case, but in general, there are many cases in which you would need no planning permit at all to set up your shipping container office. That is mostly because they don’t look permanent, they don’t necessarily require building a foundation, and they could be set far enough away from your home or building to not count as added space to them. This can save you a lot of time and paperwork.
They are very quick to set up: We already talked about how much money you can save because of how fast you can set up shipping container offices, but time itself is a valuable resource for all companies and individuals. The fact that you can have an operational office somewhere and you can move it to another location and have it operational in next to no time can prove invaluable for many.
They are modular: This helps setting up bigger office buildings. If there is need to move a great number of offices and have them operational at a new location, there is absolutely no better option than shipping container offices. No other portable option will fit together quite well together as shipping containers.
There are many other advantages to shipping container offices, you just need to think more specific about the purpose of your shipping container office to learn about them. There are also some disadvantages to having a shipping container office, and although they aren’t many and, in many cases, they are resolvable, we should take a look at a few of them as well.
What are The Disadvantages of Shipping Container Offices?
Permits can be difficult in some places: We talked about the fact that you probably won’t need a planning permit to build a shipping container office. But if you do, there are locations in the world which make it a little more difficult to obtain a permit for structures with shipping containers. The number of these locations isn’t that great and it is far more possible that you won’t be affected by those laws, but since we are talking disadvantages, this was worth mentioning.
They can be a little difficult to modify outside a factory: If you need to make change to your office, doing so after you’ve received your shipping container office can be a little more challenging than normal offices. If you need new outlets, new plumbing, or some other adjustment to the office, you would require professional help. And although that is also the case with normal buildings, the tough nature of shipping container can be a bit more difficult to edit. Plus, you would need to make sure you are not weakening the structural integrity of the shipping container, and if you do you would need to reinforce them.
Of course, there are other drawbacks to shipping container offices, but most of them are not strange compared to normal offices, and are usually easily addressed.
Where to Obtain Shipping Container Offices?
In Green Box Containers, we have been repurposing shipping containers into offices for a long time, and our customer input has always been satisfactory. We have years of experience in doing this, and we will be with you every step of the way through the design period to make sure all your preferences and requirements are met. We will prepare a 2D model based on your ideas, then let you edit that model as much as you want, and once you’re satisfied with it, we will repurpose and deliver your shipping container office within 30 days. Gather up your ideas and call us today!