Structural Design: Shipping Container Coffee Shop

This Barrett creative project includes the structural design of a coffee shop using recycled shipping containers in Phoenix, Arizona. Repurposing old shipping containers into commercial and residential buildings has become more popular. Even here in Arizona, buildings have already integrated shipping containers into their design. Shipping containers add a unique character to the architectural design of the building and at the same time cut costs of construction due to their low prices. With using the shipping containers as building materials, there is a positive impact on the use of the structures in builds. The uniqueness of using shipping containers is what sparked my interest to design a shipping container coffee shop. For my creative project, I designed the coffee shop using the already structurally sound core of the shipping container to my advantage. However, when adding modifications to the structure, the materials of the structure were analyzed to ensure the design could take the modifications. I have taken my love for structural design, the environment, and coffee and brought it to life. Through this project, I have a better understanding of how much thought goes into designing a building and have a deeper understanding of the codes that structural engineers must follow to design and analyze buildings.