The Box Office - 32 recycled shipping containers turned into office spaces

Designed by Distill Studio and developed by Truthbox, the Box Office is more than just a great example of shipping container architecture -- it also features high-performance insulation, windows and doors and energy-efficient climate control.

The Box Office, a building of 12 offices built from 32 shipping containers in Providence, Rhode Island. The offices vary in size from 640 sq ft to 2,560 sq ft, with leases ranging from just below $12,000/year to just above $20,000/year. The leases are also set up to encourage tenants to reduce their energy use.

The design for the Box Office emerged after the economy degraded and the client realized he didn’t have the budget for the brand new, uber green office building of his dreams. He and the architects of Distill Studio went back to the drawing board to come up with a more budget-friendly design and ended up working with shipping containers.

Besides using cost-effective recycled shipping containers, energy efficiency was a high priority. This included the use of high performance, non-petroleum insulation, doors and windows to minimize heat loss in and out of the office spaces. Numerous cut windows pull daylighting into the space, and a large canopy in the center of the building protects the inner courtyard and shades the space in the summer.