‘Collect Information’ Worksheet: Affordable Container House In order to develop innovative project solutions, it is critical that you develop a clear understanding of all relevant design criteria. This worksheet is intended to help you identify important factors that shape this project by prompting a response to questions in four key categories: who, where, what, and why. WHO Who will occupy the container home? Who will live in this house? A young family of four. How many people and how are they related? There are four people, husband, wife, and two brothers. What are their genders and ages? Young man of twenty eight years old, a young women of twenty seven years old, and two male children of three and four years of age. What do they do? The adult male is a full time construction engineer. The adult women is a house wife, and the children attend school full time. What are their physical needs? Every member of the family is healthy and has no special needs. What are their emotional needs? This family is looking for security, community bondage. What are some key demographical characteristics of the dwelling’s occupants? Outgoing, but calm family. Who will interact with the container home and its occupants? Who are the neighbors? A family of five. What are their physical needs? They are athletic family that always happens to get some kind of injury. What are their emotional needs? They are very basic, looking for security. How will they interact with the unit and its occupants They bond over things like sports and latest news, the women talk there regular talk and go out often. What are some of the main characteristics of the neighborhood and the community? This is an overall safe and constructive neighborhood. Who will own the house and pay for its construction and upkeep? How long will they want to live in the container house? The couple will only live in this home until the children move out and are financially stable. They will be living in a more elder friendly home. How would you describe their aesthetic preferences with respect to the container design? The family is looking for a spacey home that serves all purposes, but looks still normal. Who will live or work in close proximity to the dwelling? What concerns might they have? The construction of this home won’t be hard since it’s made of shipping containers. They can easily be hoisted into place. How might a container house design either please or annoy a neighbor? This home is a regular home so won’t really have a big effect on the neighbors just the usual noise, risk of damaged property, etc. Who might threaten the safety of the home’s occupants? Why would they be interested in the occupants? Any burglars who believe that this family has a lot of money, due to the nice house. What physical characteristics or special abilities would they have that could endanger the occupants? These burglars will have to be good at knowing when the occupants aren’t home, and will have to have skills in the field of robbery. WHERE Where will the container home be located? How much space is available for the container home? Collect the site dimensions and a site plan. Find a location map. Collect photos of the site and adjacent uses. What are the annual weather conditions? This home will be in Chicago so the conditions are literally crazy. This are experiences all kinds of weather from wind storms to hail. What is the proximity to other people or buildings? Find dimensions to the neighboring structures/buildings. What are the geographic conditions of the site? The site is completely flat straight, but will need a raised foundation. What are the traffic conditions near the site? There is a one way street in front of the home. What zoning restrictions impact the design? There is no zone restrictions as long as the home falls within the property lot. How will the site location impact the health and safety of the occupants? The location health in no way since there is parks nearby so air pollution isn’t a problem, the only safety issue is the streets. How will the site location impact the health and safety of people who interact with the house? The site can be dangerous when crossing the street to arrive to the house. Where will the container home be converted into a living structure? Will the home be constructed on‐site? The home will be constructed on site since it’s just a matter of hoisting in the four shipping containers that have been pre measured and cut. Where will the materials for the living space be acquired? The materials will be acquired from a contactor. Where will the parts used for the container home eventually end up? Will the materials end up in a landfill or will they be recyclable? Most of the materials of this home will be recycled, I believe it’s almost impossible to recycle one hundred percent of the materials. WHAT What other materials will you need to convert the shipping container into a living space? Will the materials used need to be durable over long periods of time? The exterior materials will need to be durable so it can withstand the harsh weather conditions of the area. The interior would be optional. Will the materials have to reflect a certain type of aesthetic? No, as long as they are paintable. Will the budget limit the type of materials that can be used? No the home won’t cost all that much due to the cheap structure. Will certain materials pose a danger to or protect the home’s occupants or those who interact with The container home? No the materials are very usual. What types of recycled materials can be used to convert the container in to an affordable house? Shipping containers and glass. What types of designs and construction methods are best suited for converting a shipping container? What features will the dwelling need to have to be a livable space? What are the essential requirements for a day‐to‐day living space? There will need to be bathrooms a kitchen and bed rooms. What special requirements stem from using a shipping container as a primary structure? They are sturdy and spacey, as well as cheap, and there are too many of them. What is the ultimate function of the container home? What does this require? The ultimate function is to house the family that lives in it. It requires the basics like a bathroom, a kitchen and bed rooms. WHY Why are you building a dwelling? Will the dwelling be used for any other commercial purposes such as a home business? No it will not. Will it be used for primary or secondary housing? This home is a primary housing space. Will it convey some type of social status? Will it symbolize some type of attitude regarding environmental sustainability? Yes it will show that many things can be used in way that you wouldn’t consider. Why use a shipping container as a primary structure in a living space? Why is it a good primary structure? It will have everything that can be asked for in a home. Why not just build a brand new house from all new materials? There is an abundance of contains and this is cheaper. This structure is saving the environment and it is a lot more basic then a newly built home. Why do you see a demand for these dwellings? What are some specific situations in which this housing could be most practical? This home is good for a low budget family that doesn’t want to rent an apartment. Why is this more sustainable than building a brand new primary structure? This home is a lot more cheaper since the materials are recycled.