måns tham stacks eight transport containers to construct a non-public residence in sweden

måns tham co-creates the container house with its owners 

sitting on a steep, rocky plot near a lake outside of stockholm, the container house is a private residence built out of eight shipping containers. swedish architect måns tham completed the project at the unusual request of his clients, a family of five with a penchant for industrial flair. to actualize such a bold concept, tham conducted intricate research and closely collaborated with experts and the owners who were heavily involved in the design process. he goes as far as saying that ‘the clients have built the project themselves.‘ 

all images © staffan andersson

turning ‘unlivable’ industrial containers into a home 

naturally, the design of the container house gave rise to specific challenges. for one thing, the architect found the dimensions of the shipping blocks to be somewhat limiting — reaching only 2.4 meters in width. he, therefore, explored ways to accommodate the narrow containers into wider rooms without altering their structure too much. ‘as soon as you take out the corrugated walls between two containers to make a wider room, they lose their structural strength. therefore, we had to put a lot of effort into deciding which walls to cut and which to save so that we could use the containers with as little additional structure as possible,’ reveals tham. other challenges related to ceilings, flooring, fixtures, and the overall structure came into play.

but the challenges did pay off; the collaborative effort gave rise to a ± 150 sqm structure that overtakes the site with its unique geometry, corrugated gray façades, and large glazed opening that allow natural light to flood the living spaces. from the inside looking out, the family also gets picturesque views of the swedish landscape and the lake. complementing the interior framed views are the poured concrete floors, repurposed staircase, and rare finds collected by the owners.

project info:

name: container house
architecture: måns tham
area: ± 150 sqm
location: stockholm, sweden
photography: staffan andersson