Huiini House was created out of 4 shipping containers, two down and two up plus 1 additional fifth container specifically used for guests due to the remote location in the Primavera forest in Azpopan, Jalisco, Mexico. S+Diseno designed the 2-storey shipping container home in a stacked but staggered volume to create a covered terrace below and two exposed terraces above.
4 Shipping Containers Prefab plus 1 for Guests
To emphasize the double volume the shipping containers on the top level are a bright industrial yellow while the ground level containers are void of color, showcasing the natural finish of its corrugated steel shell.
The side of one of the lower containers has been outfitted with floor to ceiling glazings that open wide, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor lifestyles.
The main entrance is positioned on the exposed end of the shipping containers.
The sheltered end at ground level appears closed off from the terrace but in actual fact this end opens wide.
When the doors are opened wide on the sheltered end, they create a privacy screen on both sides while offering an additional layer of protection from the environment.
The terrace up above also incorporates privacy panels on either side.
Inside the home the floor of the upper shipping container has been partially removed to create a double volume space for the living and dining areas while the kitchen is tucked into the single volume space beneath the upstairs mezzanine that leads to the terrace.
The stairs are created out of a single sheet of folded sheet metal.
The terrace over the sheltered lower deck is accessed via a pair of sliding glass doors.
The terrace on the other end, over the main entrance also has a pair of sliding glass doors that are hidden behind a pair of bright yellow, hinged barn doors.
Just a few feet away a fifth “guest” shipping container helps frame the garden.
The guest quarters are tucked under the shelter of a large deciduous tree.
A pathway leads across the garden to the main structure.
The guest building also has a small deck created out of a concrete slab.
Made of 4 high cube containers at 30m2 or 323sqft. the total are of the house is 120m2 or 1291.7sqft.
The ground level of the main structure includes the living and dining room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, utility room, master suite with ensuite and deck.
Upstairs is a guest bedroom with ensuite, a hall gallery, studio and terraces at either end.
S+Diseno
Photography by Mito Covarrubias
A house built from shipping containers is a great way to upcycle and while many, including this one, keep to a small footprint with a stripped down industrial aesthetic, sometimes they can be quite large and be designed as a luxuriously exciting space.