การออกแบบดัดแปลงตู้คอนเทนเนอร์ใช้แล้วขนาด 20 ฟุต เพื่อใช้เป็นโรงแรมขนาดเล็ก : กรณีศึกษา โรงแรมเลอบล็อก / ธิติ พละพึง = Modification design of a used 20-foot freight container to serve as a small hotel case study : Le Blocs Hotel / Titi Palapueng
The international shipping industry is currently growing at a fast rate, requiring freight containers to package a vast quantity of merchandise across the world’s oceans. After the containers have been used for a period of time and have been damaged, they are often discarded wastefully. The researcher believes that once modified into particular structures, these containers could serve as buildings. This study is based on an observation and interviews with the project owner, project architect and the modified containers company. The purposes of this study were 1) to study the history and structure of the containers 2) to study how the containers are being used for architecture 3) to study a specific example of design, modification and construction of a container turned into a small hotel: Le Bloc Hotel, and 4) to raise suggestions on design modifications for 20-foot container as a small hotel. The results showed that containers converted into buildings must be designed individually for each specific structure. The design must be planned carefully according to the modification and construction requirements. The construction requires specialists in container modification and construction, as well as skilled constructors. Specifically, we found that precise guidelines in terms of roof coverage and wall insulation were crucial in order to reduce the effect of sun heat, the most challenging problem in the conversion process. Furthermore, buildings which had been converted from freight containers may experience water leakages, particularly in times of rain, since windows and doors are not initially designed to be waterproof. In addition, the metallic nature of freight containers induces rust which requires paint maintenance every 2 to 3 years. It should be noted, however, the average construction cost will be higher than concrete building structures and brick walls, the buildings made of used containers can be sold or moved easily. Finally and most importantly, the use of recycled materials, this project is environmental friendly.
