Architects have been busy designing innovative environmentally savvy buildings from storage containers for the Los Angeles area.
Southern California Modular
One proposed building utilizes current shipping container construction technology in its blueprint. The Environmental Center of Regenerative Research and Education (eCORRE) building is planned to be made out of 65 recycled units. The actual location of the building is in the city of Long Beach, but the design group, APHIDoIDEA, is based in Los Angeles. The boxes will come from the nearby port in Long Beach, which is the second busiest port in the world.
Building with Recycled Containers
Using recycled portable storage units fits the eCORRE building’s main purpose, which is to educate the public about environmental strategies. The building will have rooftop gardens, solar energy, reused water, and water collection devices. There will be an outdoor amphitheatre and public patio, as well as classrooms and exhibits inside.
During construction of the eCORRE building, the units will first be stacked and then spread for access. Then the boxes will be lifted in the center to make room for the plaza, and angled to ensure optimal solar energy absorption. The finished the building is a unique, abstract, according-like shape. eCORRE building’s design was deemed a finalist in the AIA-LA/ USGBC Emerging Talent Design Competition.
Additional Proposals
Another modern building proposal in the Los Angeles area are architects Massimo Guidotti and Davide Albertini’s mixed-use complex. The complex is composed of a hotel, two business towers, residencies, galleries, and a fitness center. The complex would be built from many materials including metal sheets, steel and glass. Building with glass allows the residency buildings to have a complete view of downtown Los Angeles.
The mixed-use complex would attach to the already present Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), located in Downtown Los Angles. Like the eCORRE building, this design is environmentally smart. The plans include rooftop gardens, wind turbines, solar panel energy sources, and water collection.
The next few years will reveal which building plans are approved. The use of resourceful building methods such as modular construction and solar panel installation is exciting for the major city of Los Angles.