As shipping containers become more prevalent in a variety of industries, cargotecture is emerging as the next big thing when designing structures for commercial use, helping businesses stand out against the competition and attract more customers.
In an age where 5 seconds or less is the average time to gain a customer’s attention, more and more companies are modifying storage containers to help their business gain a competitive edge. Cargotecture, a form of architecture that uses shipping containers, showcases creativity that changes the way customers view commercial business’ products and services.
Plus, it’s an affordable, portable way for organizations to solve industry-specific needs. For example, fire departments often use cargotecture to create multi-story, fire-resistant buildings for training with live fire.
The idea of custom containers began in 1962 when a company used one as an exhibition booth, which led to an official patent for converting steel intermodal containers into habitable buildings.
Since then, cargotecture is often used for residential construction, building tiny or mobile homes. However, many businesses have found that modifying ISO containers into custom structures helps the business in a cost-effective, eye-catching way. In this article, we’ll explore how cargotecture is changing commercial businesses using an affordable and convenient method of construction.
Why Commercial Industries Are Using Cargotecture
The ever-changing technology, customer behavior and costs associated with traditional and digital advertising poses a challenge for businesses. Advertising is an essential part of running an organization, as it spreads awareness of your brand, attracting customers, investors or donors to grow your organization.
Commercial cargotecture is still uncommon enough that it makes your business stand out with creative, unique structures that people will want to talk about. Whether that means news articles, blog posts or simply word of mouth, you get free advertising from simply being special.
If you want to take part in the trend of pop-up shops, you may struggle to find a way to do it effectively and affordably, without the need for traditional construction.
Many businesses have started to use cargotecture to create pop-up shops. Since pop-up shops are temporary storefronts, portable containers are the perfect building material for them, as they have the ability to be transported via truck, train or boat. Best of all, they don’t require traditional construction when made by a reliable shipping container fabrication facility like Southwest Mobile Storage.
Additionally, you may want your business to take part in annual events, such as tradeshows or fairs, but renting a booth is expensive, you have to set it up and tear it down for every single event and it’s hard to stand out when everyone’s booth looks similar.
Modifying shipping containers to create a mobile booth you can take to every event makes your brand stand out against the regular exhibition booths — and you only have to pay for it once.
For example, Pima Waste Management from Tucson, AZ, hired us to modify a 40-foot steel container for use as an experiential event display showcasing how wastewater can be treated and reused to brew beer at the 2017 Pure Water Brew Challenge.
We’ve helped commercial organizations use cargotecture in a variety of industries, including government, aerospace, education, retail, hospitality and more. Some other ways cargotecture has changed how commercial industries solve their needs include:
- Security booths
- Chemical plant storage
- Wastewater treatment
- Communications towers
- COVID-19 testing labs
- Factory walkways
Southwest Mobile Storage has done thousands of shipping container modifications across the United States and even some internationally. We have a skilled, certified staff of engineers, welders, electricians, fabricators and more that work with more than 500 years combined experience modifying steel containers.
These modified storage containers have helped our customers do more with their business, using an affordable and convenient building material without the need for building additions or a lengthy permit process. Learn more about cargotecture and modified shipping containers for commercial use.
