|
New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH)
April 18, 2010
They once sailed high seas, now could be home
Page: 05
Estimated printed pages: 2
Article Text:
By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader
CAMPTON -- Shipping containers that have traveled the high seas and highways could end up being someone's home rather than ending up in a landfill.
That is the idea of Erik M. Kampmann of Campton, a member of the Build Green NH Council who for 20 years has specialized in housing construction and residential architecture.
Kampmann got the idea for a 2,400-square-foot home design using seven shipping containers which each cost just under $3,000 to purchase.
The idea of reusing shipping containers for shelter is not really new, he said, but his concept is different.
"Mostly they have been used in military applications as a quick build," and have also been reused in Louisiana and Mississippi after hurricanes.
Kampmann said he sees a future for the corrugated metal boxes, each about 8 feet wide, 9 feet high and 40 feet in length.
Kampmann recently created a model which can be fully viewed on his Web site, www.emkdesigns.net.
He began peddling the idea to consumers at green home-building shows and is only beginning to market the concept.
"These containers are exposed to the worst weather," as they are used to convey products to market around the world, and they are stockpiled in landfills and allowed to eventually rust out, he said.
His design would incorporate a concrete foundation with three containers stacked up side by side on the ground floor and four on the second floor. The only part of the design which would not be made from shipping containers would be the center structure used for the second-floor bathroom.
The model includes three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a great room, dining room, home office, laundry and a spacious kitchen.
Two of the bedrooms have their own private, covered balcony.
He estimated homeowners would save about 10 percent from a modular or stick-built house, but in this case, they would be recycling.
The house could be adapted to have geothermal heat, solar arrays on the roof and spray foam insulation if desired. He said a roof would be optional, but he incorporated it into his design.
"Without a roof would work, but it would look ultra-modern," Kampmann said.
He said building trends in the Northeast now tend to be smaller and more energy efficient than in the last building boom when people were constructing larger houses.
Those who are interested may also reach him at EMK Designs Inc. at 254-2006.
Copyright, 2010, Union Leader Corp.
Record Number: mandc5-5u1ky0889bnzipdcfud
|