Posted for information only with all rights belonging to Cheryl Weber
Custom / 3,500 square feet or less
2009 residential architect design awards
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Source: residential architect Magazine
Cinco Camp, Brewster County, Texas
Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
Midland, Texas
 Hester + Hardaway The rusted boxes rest lightly on hand-dug piers. Coplanar floating roofs shield inhabitants from the sun's heat. A rear window and swing-open double doors invite cross-ventilation through the MDF-wrapped interiors. |
Shipping container architecture is nothing new, but adapting the shells for living often undoes their built-in economy. With only minimal modifications, these serve as rugged guest cabins on a West Texas ranch. “We didn't want to leave a scar on that somewhat fragile landscape,” Mark T. Wellen, AIA, says of his solution. “If you disfigure the surface, the cacti and low shrubbery can take years to come back.”
The containers (one is for storage) were outfitted off site with a rear window and MDF floor, walls, and ceiling—almost like a cigar box. Then they were hauled in, two at a time, on an 18-wheeler and craned into place from the existing road.
Concrete footings for small piers were hand-poured, and floating roofs were popped on for shade. The jaunty roofs allow breezes to cool the units. “Most of our sun is overhead here, so they're largely in the shade,” Wellen says. When the containers are occupied, the big doors of each unit swing open and are strapped in place. Closed down, they're impervious to weather and wandering wildlife. What's more, they're a playful mirror image of the boxcars rolling by on distant tracks.
Down in the valley and 45 minutes from the closest town, the cabins are “a romantic and poetic folly. Great fun!” said a judge. “And it looks like it will last forever.”
principal in charge / project architect: Mark T. Wellen, AIA, Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
general contractor: Steve Ekstrom, Ekstrom Construction Co., Midland, Texas
project size: 800 square feet (combined)
site size: 3,500 acres
construction cost: $202 per square foot
photography: Hester + Hardaway.
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