The great versatility of a shipping container is that it can be used for many things once it is no longer being lifted on and off big ships and carrying goods around the world. But perhaps using it as an office is one of the most crafty and versatile ways to convert it.
An article in the small business magazine Gigwise has highlighted the various ways that a small business can make use of a container for work purposes, including offices. Some of the others are types you may have encountered already, such as retail, or small cafes and restaurants, with many examples to be found across our towns and cities.
Other uses include site storage and art studios, as well as offices. It suggests that office use could be particularly effective in the construction sector, an obvious reason for this being that it is mobile, so it can be moved from site to site as one project ends and another starts.
The article went on to highlight several great advantages that would apply to any converted container used for a small business: low upfront conversion costs, no expensive leases, mobility if you need to move premises, plus the fact that it is an eco-friendly option as you are recycling a used item.
Another factor that is of particular value is the sheer durability of a container. What was once designed to provide protection to goods in transit can now make your office secure against damage, either accidental or deliberate.
This means you are secure against vandalism or attempted robberies on the one hand (with crooks sure to seek out easier targets), while your office may also be more secure against things like extreme weather events; A falling tree may wreck the roof of a Portacabin, but not a metal container.
Such robustness is not just confined to using a container as an office, of course. That is equally applicable to those who run cafes. For example, Cornwall Live recently reported on the case of a Falmouth café that is converting a shipping container to use as a new covered seating area.
Emily Davidson, who owns the Castle Beach Café, has sought planning permission for the new seating area to “future-proof the business from climate change associated storms.” The current open seating area was badly damaged in April this year.
A further advantage of the new container proposal is that it will mean the café can still open in bad weather, which may be good news even when it is simply a wet day, without it having to be blowing a gale.
This raises the key issue for any enterprise of business continuity. All sorts of things can stop a firm from operating and while many of the threats these days come from cyberspace, they can come from physical threats that can render your premises inoperable.
If you use a shipping container, however, you will have a robust metallic shield able to handle high winds, resident vandalism, deter break-ins and prevent fires occurring as a result of a nearby blaze spreading. It is low on cost and high on flexibility, innovation and security.
