Is your business expanding? Quality, scalable office space can be hard to find and most businesses simply don’t have the time for a costly office move that interrupts day to day business. Shipping containers on the other hand can be utilised to provide additional home or business office space that is cost effective, quick to construct and easy to move.
Here are some of our favourite reasons why second hand shipping containers make an ideal office solution for Australian businesses.
Why is a Shipping Container Office Right for You?
Shipping Containers are Cost Effective
Shipping container offices can be considerably cheaper than the average office. With second hand shipping containers starting from a few thousand dollars depending on condition, the cost of your office depends on the modifications that are required such as electrical fit-outs, plumbing, doors & windows and air conditioning. Regardless of what you choose – a shipping container office will usually work out to be far more cost effective to building a traditional office.
Shipping Containers are Scalable
Imagine you’ve built an office complex and you suddenly need to take on a lot of extra staff and have run out of room. Building a new office building is costly and takes a significant amount of time. Now imagine you no longer need the offices – what do you do?
With shipping containers, it’s easy. Simply add offices as you require them – and remove or sell them when you don’t need them any more. They are easily scalable, use a minimum footprint and can even be stacked if required.
Shipping Container Offices are Portable
Does your business change site often? Shipping container offices are portable and easy to transport, whether its short distances on the back of a truck, or overseas in a ship. This makes shipping container offices the ideal solution for businesses that operate in remote areas, are temporary in nature, or simply move around a lot.
Recycling shipping containers is environmentally friendly and sustainable
Sustainability is becoming more and more important these days with dwindling resources, carbon charges and moves towards greener building materials. By up-cycling with products such as second hand shipping containers, you help to conserve precious resources, while saving money.
Here are a couple of case studies that interested us lately:
Marketing Via Postal Group – United States
This shipping container office stands out because it’s different to your traditional converted container project. In this case shipping containers were used to create individual offices inside of a warehouse rather than outside. By using the containers MVP Group were able to significantly save on both their heating and air conditioning costs. With a total cost of $1,000 per container and $3000 each for modification, the project cost around $40,000 USD. By saving approximately $3,000 per month the entire project paid for itself in just 13 months. Not only that but the project looks great and provides for a private individual offices while keeping in theme with the businesses transportation role.
Five AM – Belgium
Another firm that’s heavily involved in printing and postage, Five AM took a similar route to MVP above. Utilising existing warehouse space and second hand shipping containers they constructed their new offices. First they renovated all of the containers until they were at an almost new condition, removing dents, sandblasting and repainting them before placing them within and on the outside of their warehouse. Interior containers were painted bright yellow, while exterior containers were painted a dark black and the insides of all containers were decorated with bare plywood and a utilitarian but clean and tidy selection of office furniture.
99C – South Africa
Yet another shipping container inside an office, this great example used by branding agency 99C functions as a waiting room for prospective clients. Using a second hand shipping container, with modifications including large cutouts on the sides, and full plywood lining with an electrical fit out, it makes a simple but inviting addition to their office.
Do you need some extra pop up office space?
Contact the team at Gateway Container Sales & Hire and we’ll help you find the perfect temporary (or permanent) office space. We’ll show you how to take a simple shipping container, and with some modifications, transform it into the right office for your business. Get in touch now for a free quote.
