Showing posts with label shipping container. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shipping container. Show all posts
Data Center Container
computer,
datacenter,
HP,
IBM,
maintenance,
military,
modular building system,
pod,
rackmount,
server,
shipping container,
sun microsystems,
truck,
vibration
Sun, IBM and now HP offer a data centre in a shipping container. But these are mostly marketing gimmicks. The companies offer to install rack mounted servers, disk drives and cooling in a standard steel 40 foot ISO shipping container. The idea is that this makes it easy for a company to add computing power: just take deliver of the shipping container and plug it in. But apart from the military, who are used to containerized equipment, it is not easy to integrate a truck sized box of electronics into your organization.
Opening the outer doors reveals an efficient cooling system as well as a main control panel.
Power Distribution & Control Panel inside the Sun MD.
3. Sun Blackbox
The computer maker can configure the hardware, connect all the cables, close the doors and ship the box to the customer. The customer then just needs to open the doors, plug the box in and switch it on. But in reality, it is not quite this simple:
1. Cooling: Densely packed rack mounted equipment is difficult to keep cool. Placing it in a cramped metal box will make this worse. Rack mounted equipment is usually designed to draw cool in air from the front and exhaust hot air out the back. This assumes there is a isle at the front and back for the air to circulate; a false floor underneath for the cool air to be delivered and space above the cabinets to carry the hot air away. An ISO shipping container is too small to do this in and most of the designs use only one isle down the middle with racks up against the side of the container. Photos of the Sun system show what appear to be very large cooling air ducts coming out of the front, which have to be ducted somewhere. Other units show doors in non standard places and lots of cables coming out of holes in the containers.
2. Maintenance: The isle at the front and back of racks not only allows air to circualte, it also also provides space for maintenance workers to exchange equipment and run cables (there are a lot of cables in a data center). The width of an ISO container only allows for one narrow isle, making maintenance difficult.
3. Delivery: Rack mounted cabinets are designed to fit in the back of a small truck or plane. There are trucks with special suspension designed to carry sensitive computer equipment. Only a few specialist cargo aircraft are large enough to carry an ISO container, so the boxes would have to long distances by sea, road or rail. The sea, road and rail transport systems designed to handle ISO shipping containers are not intended for delicate equipment and do not protect containers from the elements. The data center would need to be very well sealed for transport to prevent water damage and be sturdy enough top prevent damage from vibration, knocks and being tilted. The containers need to have enough room in them for staff to install and maintain the equipment, so about one third to one half of each container is empty, resulting in increased shipping costs.
4. Installation: Rack mounted cabinets are designed to fit trough a space about the size and shape of a standing person, so they can be pushed through a normal doorway and into a passenger lift, using a simple handcart. The equipment is therefore compatible with office buildings. In contrast shipping containers require a very large fork lift truck to move them and will not fit in an ordinary office building. They would need a specially designed warehouse-like building or annex to a building. ISO shipping containers are designed to be weatherproof, but setting up a datacenter outdoors would require all of the conduits to be carefully sealed and make maintenance very difficult, as containments would enter every time a door was opened. There have been many modular building systems based on ISO containers which have failed due to leaks. Having a container crammed with sensitive electrical equipment in a leaky steel box would be disastrous. Also the average corporation does not want to have something which looks like a container wharf or an electricity substation, next to their office building. The plan for a major data center in Canberra is in jeopardy due to opposition to the collocated power station. A containerized data center is likely to draw planning objections.
5. Safety: Data center equipment is designed to be maintained with the power switched on. Staff need to be able to replace one computer in a rack, while the rest of the equipment keeps working. Working in a cramped metal box will be far less safe than a traditional data center. There will be less room for the staff to work and the walls will form one sealed electrically conductive box. Noise from the equipment is likely to be higher than in a normal room. As the box is designed to be sealed, it will need to have vents added to allow for fire fighting. If inert gas firefighting is used, it will be deadlier than in a conventional room and there will be fewer escape exits. Staff may have less than a minute to escape before being killed by the fire suppression system.
Sun Modular Datacenter S20
The Sun Modular Datacenter S20 is the world's first virtualized datacenter built into a shipping container and optimized to deliver extreme energy, space, and performance efficiencies.
Opening the outer doors reveals an efficient cooling system as well as a main control panel. The server racks slide out, allowing to maximize space efficiently.
The Sun Modular Datacenter is a computing powerhouse capable of hosting a configuration that would place it among the top 200 fastest supercomputers globally.
Servers mounted behind plexiglass.
Power Distribution & Control Panel inside the Sun MD.View its online demo video :
Chelsea Farmers Market, London UK
Commissioned by Chelsea Space Management, the three new shop units were craned into the busy Farmers Market in only 1 day. Clad in timber with pitched roofs, the new retail space fits seamlessly into into the surroundings of chalet style shops and restaurant.
INFORMATION
Completion date: August 2006
Estimated Installation time: 1 day
Developer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Engineer: BCS Consulting
Client: Chelsea Space Management Ltd
Location: Chelsea Farmers Market, Chelsea, London
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 800 sq ft.
Use: Retail space
Estimated Installation time: 1 day
Developer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Engineer: BCS Consulting
Client: Chelsea Space Management Ltd
Location: Chelsea Farmers Market, Chelsea, London
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 800 sq ft.
Use: Retail space
Tower Hamlets College, London
buro happold,
East London,
nicholas lacey and partners,
shipping container,
tower hamlets college,
urban space management
In 2001 Urban Space Management was commissioned to provide additional classroom space for the expanding Tower Hamlets College, London.
Built across three floors complete with an external stairwell and state of the art computer cabling the scheme provided 12 extra classrooms for the college.
As construction times of Container City are significantly shorter than traditional building methods, the whole project was installed and ready for use after the College's summer vacation period.
INFORMATION
Completed: 2001
Architect: Nicholas Lacey and Partners
Engineer: Buro Happold
Developers: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Tower Hamlets College, London
Containers used: 10
Units created: 6
Use: Classrooms
Architect: Nicholas Lacey and Partners
Engineer: Buro Happold
Developers: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Tower Hamlets College, London
Containers used: 10
Units created: 6
Use: Classrooms
Cove Park, Scotland UK
cove park,
cube,
edward kemp,
loch long,
peaton hill,
playwright,
scotland,
shipping container,
theatre director
Cove Park is a centre for established artists situated on the west coast of Scotland in 50 acres of spectacular countryside.
In 2002, Container City created three en-suite accommodation units (known as 'cubes') to act as artist retreats. In order to blend into the rural surroundings sliding glass doors were installed that lead out onto the decked balcony that extends over a lake with beautiful views of Loch Long.
Due to the success of the first three units, three more have been commissioned and are due for completion in June 2006.
"I got far more work done than I ever imagined. My cube was a brilliant space – it never occurred to me that I could work, let alone sleep, in a freight container!"
–Cube resident Edward Kemp, playwright and theatre director
–Cube resident Edward Kemp, playwright and theatre director
INFORMATION
Completed: 2002
Installation time: 3 days
Architect / Developers: USM Ltd
Location: Peaton Hill, Argyll & Bute, G84 0PE, Scotland
Containers used: 6
Units created: 3
Use: Creative industrieslive / work space
Visit the Cove Park website
Installation time: 3 days
Architect / Developers: USM Ltd
Location: Peaton Hill, Argyll & Bute, G84 0PE, Scotland
Containers used: 6
Units created: 3
Use: Creative industrieslive / work space
Visit the Cove Park website
Cuffley School, North London UK
Commissioned by Cuffley School, the classroom and music studios provide over 800sq ft of valuable extra space, linked to the existing building by an innovative covered walkway.
Located on the outskirts of North London, the building was craned in in just one day during half term to minimise disruption, and was painted in striking green and orange to reflect the vibrant and creative nature of their use.
INFORMATION
Completed: Oct 2008
Installation time: 1 day
Architect: London Borough Tower Hamlets
Design/Manufacturer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Cuffly,Herts EN6
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 800 sq ft
Use: Classroom and music studios
Installation time: 1 day
Architect: London Borough Tower Hamlets
Design/Manufacturer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Cuffly,Herts EN6
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 800 sq ft
Use: Classroom and music studios
Mansell Street Community Centre, London
Commissioned by the Corporation of London, Mansell Street Community Centre occupies a narrow irregular site in a dense area of the City. Craned in in only one day, the two self contained units make the building totally demountable so that should the need come to move it, the process will be very simple. For the time being the community centre and crèche is not only a triumph or architectural flexibility but also a fantastic resource for the local area.
INFORMATION
Completed: 2007
Installation time: 1 day
Developer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Mansell Street,London E1
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 2,500 sq. ft.
Use: Community Centre and Créche
Installation time: 1 day
Developer: Urban Space Management Ltd
Location: Mansell Street,London E1
Units created: 3
Total Space created: 2,500 sq. ft.
Use: Community Centre and Créche
Meath Gardens Youth Centre, London
Following on from the success of he Mile End Park Youth Centre The Environment Trust commissioned Urban Space Management to build another Youth Centre in Meath Gardens in East London.
With only 2 containers a effective Youth Centre was created with a minimal cost.
As all the construction took place off site, the unit was installed in just day causing little disruption to the surrounding park space.
As all the construction took place off site, the unit was installed in just day causing little disruption to the surrounding park space.
Morpeth School, London UK
East London,
furness engineering,
london space management,
morpeth school,
portman place,
shipping container
Commissioned directly by Morpeth School, the classrooms provides over 2,500sq ft of valuable extra space linked by a decked walkway.
Located within the existing school grounds, the unit was craned in over half term to minimise disruption for the pupils and was painted in a vibrant red colour to reflect the creative nature of their use.
INFORMATION
Completion date: Nov 2007
Installation time: 4 days
Architect: London Space Management Ltd
Engineer: Furness Engineering
Client: Morpeth School
Location: Portman Place, London E2
Units created: 4
Total Space created: 2,560 sq ft.
Use: Classrooms
Installation time: 4 days
Architect: London Space Management Ltd
Engineer: Furness Engineering
Client: Morpeth School
Location: Portman Place, London E2
Units created: 4
Total Space created: 2,560 sq ft.
Use: Classrooms
Los Angeles Container Home
construction cost,
green vibe,
koi pond,
laundry,
library,
los angeles,
modern office space,
shipping container,
usa
This 3,000 square foot L.A. home features multiple storage containers in its design and each with its own purpose.
There is a storage container for the entertainment area, library, dining room/office space, master bedroom, and bathroom/laundry room. This place has plenty of large windows which provide plenty of natural lighting as well as awesome views of the garden and koi pond outside.
Aside from using recycled storage containers, this home also uses recycled steel scraps in its construction which further adds to the green vibe that this home resonates and not to mention saved a ton of money on construction costs.
Zigloo Domestique, Canada
british columbia,
canada,
enamel,
keith dewey,
minty green,
shipping container,
victoria,
zigloo domestique project
This shipping container home from the so-called Zigloo Domestique project in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is a residential home created by Keith Dewey. The home is built out of old shipping containers, and the owner chose to paint them with an industrial strength minty-green enamel, commonly found on shipping containers today, in order to maintain the container’s roots in the shipping business.
While the exterior of the home may look a little rugged, due to the protruding containers, the 2,000 square foot interior of the house is quite comfortable and modern. The project cost about $150 per square foot, compared to a similar quality traditional construction project that can cost about $250 per square foot.
Simon's Town School Hostel
Opened in 1998, the Simon’s Town High School Hostel is constructed almost entirely of used shipping containers. This amazing place is constructed out of 40 large shipping containers to be exact, and it’s big enough to accommodate up to 120 boarders.
The hostel manager gets his own 2 bedroom flat, while the other staff share 2 separate flatlets. Area residents were concerned that the project would prove to be an eyesore to the community since it was made from grungy old shipping containers, but the final result proved otherwise with a modern-looking structure that is incredibly durable and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
Container Hotel, London
2012 olympics,
Greg Dawson,
heathrow,
hotel,
lego,
shipping container,
travelodge,
uxbridge,
verbus,
west london
The world’s first hotel built from recycled shipping containers has popped-up in Uxbridge, West London.
Eighty-six shipping containers make up the new Travelodge Hotel in Uxbridge, England.
Most people would not consider a shipping container to be a comfortable place to spend the night, but a new Travelodge hotel in England thinks it has found a way to make it appealing.
Located in a suburb of London called Uxbridge, the new hotel contains 120 rooms and was constructed in about four months on site, said Greg Dawson, a spokesman for Travelodge. That time included laying the foundations for the building. If constructed using traditional methods, the entire project would have taken about 15 months to two years to complete, he said. The hotel opened on August 15.
The modified steel shipping containers were fitted with hotel fixtures in Shenzhen, China and then transported to England by boat, Travelodge said in a statement. The 86 individual containers then were stacked together “like giant Lego blocks” on the actual site in about 20 days.
The building method is very efficient and makes it possible to build in tricky locations, Dawson said. He noted that the location of the Uxbridge hotel at a former bus station in a busy shopping district probably could not have supported traditional building methods because of limited access.
Each prefabricated container comes fully-equipped with fixtures, furniture, and windows. Travelodge, says that constructing a hotel this way is 25% faster and 10% cheaper than the more traditional construction methods. Also, construction is much quicker, because all that has to be done is to fit each container together like it was a giant Lego set.
The building style is also cheaper than traditional methods, Dawson said. The rates at the hotel currently match those at conventionally-built ones. But Dawson said the savings from the lower building costs get passed on to the consumer because they will allow the company to keep prices at the same rate even as utility prices and other costs continue to rise. The rooms at the hotel are about £20 (about $37) if booked online and £40-50 (about $73-$92) for walk-in guests, Dawson said.
Verbus Systems, a U.K. contractor, approached Travelodge with the idea, Dawson said. The hotel company currently has plans to open a new hotel in the U.K. every week for the next ten years, Dawson said, and the shipping container building method that Verbus proposed would help the company keep up with its target rate of growth. Travelodge has opened about 100 hotels in the last four years.
Travelodge is exploring the idea of building more shipping container hotels in the U.K. A similar project of 310 rooms is already under construction near Heathrow airport and will likely open in December, Dawson said.
The London area may see more these ‘portable hotels’ pop-up around the city as the 2012 Olympics approaches.
Peter DeMaria's Home
Peter DeMaria Container Home 2006
The first official 2-story shipping container home in the US was designed by Southern California architect Peter DeMaria in 2006. The only big obstacle that he encountered during construction of his shipping container pad was making sure that the house passed all of the strict guidelines of the Uniform Building Code (UBC).
The Redondo Beach House is an architecturally designed shipping container based contemporary house to suit your site and lifestyle.
The award-winning De Maria Design’s luxury beachside house was constructed using eight prefabricated, recycled steel shipping containers, which are integrated with some traditional building techniques.
Built on modern lines, the sleek and elegant building is resistant to fire, mold and termites. About 70 percent of this affordable construction was assembled in a shop making it inexpensive, time-efficient and resource-efficient.
Lot-Ek House Argentina
architectural designs,
Argentina,
cutting edge,
external configuration,
fully equipped,
Lot-Ek,
shipping container
Lot-Ek is always on the cutting edge of strange and interesting architectural designs so it is no wonder they have their own visions of shipping container houses. Their solutions rely on a relatively simple external configuration that provides for more complex spatial possibilities on the interior of their structures. They are fully equipped with everything one would want in a home and lacking no luxury.
