ecotechdesign has just completed a completely off-the-grid shipping container hybrid house and photo studio in Joshua Tree, which is located in California’s Mojave desert. The project combines high-efficiency construction methods with smart design, which means that consumers now have an option beyond prefabricated homes. ecotechdesign offers sustainable, recycled, and affordable habitats that are generally much more accessible than past prefabricated options. They like to call it “uncontained” living.
Also known as The Tim Palen Studio at Shadow Mountain, the hybrid home is a 2nd generation kit-like house that is an alternative to pre-fab homes. The hybrid house design is based on the Prius automobile engineering concept: combining pre-engineered building and energy conservation with custom design options and flexibility.
The basic home is made from recycled steel ISO containers, a Butler pre-engineered building, a 10,000 gallon steel water tank, and a metal shade canopy with integrated steel framing system. The system provides extraordinary strength, earthquake, fire and wind protection. ecotechdesign also offers the options of a greywater water harvesting and storage system, a solar shading system, and a green roof.
Photos by Jack Parsons Photography.

2 Comments
Bridget on 04.21.2011 at 14:25 PM
This is great. Any idea what the costs are? Until these buildings are on par or cheaper than traditional homes we will never see them intergrated into the mainstream.
Shipping Container Homes on 04.22.2011 at 21:54 PM
@ Bridget.
The costs for this 2300 sqft one bedroom home where $200 a sqft.
Thats $460,000 for build costs.
The designer claims this is half the cost of alternative prefabs but I dont feel thats accurate as there are many prefab solutions well under $1,000,000.
Want your image to appear next to your comment? Get a gravatar!Leave A Comment