Shoe box is in. Some even glamorize it by how well they furnished the shoeboxes with the most expensive furniture. Some have elaborate designs to make a shoe box look spacious and functional. For those who love shoe boxes or are forced to live in shoe boxes, or those who have no where else to go, shoe box can be an answer.
Boon Wan should seriously consider providing shoe boxes as a quick but temporary solution to solve the housing needs. It is not the most desirable option for raising a family. As a temporary relief, it is still an option to consider.
I am thinking of instant shoe box homes using 20 ft containers stacked and arranged to maximize and optimize their uses. They only need to be modified and fitted with power and sanitation facilities and you get an instant shoe box home for those in urgent need. A 20 ft container may be suitable for a single occupant. A 2x20ft container set up, stacked one over the other or side by side could provide two bedrooms and a little kitchen, a bath room and a small living area for a small family.
And the cost is definitely much lower than all the piling and infrastructure of a permanent estate. The key point is that they are temporary housing and occupants should be looking for alternative permanent housing at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, a 2x20 ft container set up can be a decent place to stay than pitching tents or squatting or squeezing in a small flat with too many occupants. And with a little spin, even the well heeled singles may transform them into a new lifestyle statement. A little thought and design will turn such a community very liveable, with some landscaping thrown in.
It is temporary housing but well designed to prevent them from looking like slums. A small little pleasure boat, with all the nice fittings can be home to the rich and famous, why not a spacious container?
/// They only need to be modified and fitted with power and sanitation facilities and you get an instant shoe box home for those in urgent need. ///
ReplyDeleteActually, a little bit more work is required. Like windows - otherwise it will be claustrophobic. And air-con is a must - otherwise you will end up as baked or fried sardines.
Hi The,
ReplyDeleteHave seen some container offices, quite well done with roofs to cut down heat. A small window here and there, some nice painting landscaping, and stacking, loo behold, a new lifestyle...Containminium Living.
Yes, have seen those container offices as well. The roof is quite a necessity - not just to keep out the heat, but the noise from falling rain. Without the additional roof - the rainfall on the TEUs will drive you bonkers.
ReplyDeleteThey can stack the containers in a haphazard manner and call it ConLeedon Park.
ReplyDeleteWhile potential buyers are lamenting at the lag of supply of public housing, I don't think they are that desperate as to want to live in bunker like shoe box apartments.
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