Future Shack on Melbourne Museum Plaza.
Image: Ian Malcolm
Source: Museum Victoria
Future Shack: from shipping container to emergency housing.
Sitting on Melbourne Museum’s Plaza is a steel container that once carried cargo to China. This rusty, mass-produced box has since been turned into the prototype of an emergency shelter for the suddenly homeless: victims of wars, persecution, earthquakes, floods, and as recently seen, tsunamis.
The architect, Sean Godsell, came up with the idea of turning a steel shipping container into emergency housing in 1985 but the prototype was not developed until 1990. In May 2004 Future Shack was displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, attracting considerable interest.
Taking 24 hours to assemble, extensive ground preparation is unnecessary as the shelter sits on four adjustable steel legs. Packed within the container are a solar power cell, satellite receiver, ladder, ramp, water tanks and the parasol roof.
The container has been modified to provide thermal insulation and allows the flow of fresh air through a series of vents. Lined with plywood, it can be fitted with bathroom and kitchen amenities depending on local requirements. Outside, the parasol shelters the container’s roof providing protection from the sun, and parasol panels can be exchanged for local materials such as thatch.
Future Shack can be repacked into itself and stockpiled for later use, and is easily transported by air, sea, road or rail throughout the world.