Cargo container house, starting from scratch.

[ExperiencingArchitecture]

I saw a Discovery Channel special on this subject once, and it was about a university group of students and teachers getting together and building a container house on a university campus. Don't remember where it was done, but it should be in the Discovery Channel record. Might be able to get a copy from them on this special video. They encountered all types of problems to resolve. To start, they had to go with a smaller container then initially expected, as the large one would not fit onto campus, as the access did not allow for a larger truck to enter with a larger container. They experimented with various types of bat insulation, and even did a "lightning simulation" high voltage producing machine test on the house, which launched high voltage beams against the house while a man was standing inside, and the house passed with flying colors. They used photovaltic panels for the electricity in low voltage lamps and even a bicycle generating machine to run laptop off of kinetic energy. The different rooms were insulated with various materials as a test - bat type insulation, and it seems from what I remember, all seemed to fare equally in insulating the space. All the walls were furred with traditional framing and filled with bat insulation, then interior standard dry-wall. There were problems with the structure and cutting out to many interior passageways, so they decided it was more efficient to cut out the interior panels where the units connected and reinforce the structure with steel bracing where needed. A wood stove was professionally installed to provide all the heating needed, heat the water and space. (Must be professionally built and installed to not simply blow up like a tin can over a fire). This coupled with solar panels and the photovaltic electricity units served the unit well. It seems the overall cost even with all this technological wizardry still came in at a good cost, but a more careful analysis of cost may be needed. The end product was a flat roof structure and although looking more industrial on the outside was quite comfortable on the inside once finished. They even hosted a party there to celebrate the conclusion of the house.