Shipping Container Apartments

Thousands of shipping containers sit idle behind barbed wire fences and on empty docks every day.

Sixteen shipping containers, shown on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, have been turned into apartments at 12th and Grand avenues in downtown Phoenix.(Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic)

The latest apartments in downtown Phoenix are the stuff of sustainable dreams.

The Containers on Grand, a sustainable housing project made of shipping containers, opened for public viewing Thursday night.

The complex features eight 740-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment units built out of 16 decommissioned steel shipping containers.

The apartments, near Grand and 12th avenues, are part of the city’s “Containers on Grand” collaborative project with the architects and contractors of StarkJames.

The apartments are available for rent for up to $1, 000 a month and already have a waiting list. One of the fully furnished and decorated units will soon be available as an Airbnb rental.

“The size is pretty decent, ” said Kevin Harper, 34, a recent Valley transplant and prospective renter. “It’s interesting how they used the space and how they used the containers.”

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised the sustainable living spaces.

“This project is special in so many ways, ” Stanton said. “First off, I think it looks great. I love it on a personal basis. This project has a wonderful feel to it and I know that its going to be ... hugely successful.”

Stanton said the multihousing container project is the first of its kind in the United States. Las Vegas has the Downtown Container Park, a retail and dining attraction created out of 30 shipping containers, but it does not include housing.

“This is going to put us on the map, ” Stanton said.

Bob Graham, president of the Grand Avenue Members Association and an architect at the Motley Design Group, said that the association is thrilled to have the new addition to the area.

“We’re really excited to see new quality redevelopment on Grand Avenue that is out-of-the-box, ” Graham said.

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