Two-storey shipping container homes offer a compelling solution for sustainable living with vertical efficiency. By stacking repurposed containers, designers can deliver spacious floorplans and elevated views—without expanding the building footprint.
This section explores two-storey shipping container homes that combine smart planning with rugged aesthetics. Whether built on urban infill lots, suburban blocks, or remote countryside land, these stacked structures add functionality without sacrificing sustainability. Most designs feature open-plan ground levels, rooftop terraces, and upper-floor bedrooms—creating dynamic zones that support family living, remote work, or rental accommodation.
Engineered for modular strength, shipping containers are ideally suited for stacked configurations. Their uniform geometry allows for fast assembly, while their steel frames support solar panels, green roofs, and natural cladding. Inside, architects are transforming rigid industrial shells into warm, light-filled spaces using timber, glass, and passive cooling techniques.
As interest in multilevel prefab housing grows, two-storey container homes represent a bold step forward. They’re efficient, adaptable, and ready for every landscape—from downtown laneways to sloped bush blocks.
Scroll down to explore real-world examples of two-storey shipping container homes in action—designed for resilience, space, and sustainability.
A New Model for Shipping Container Housing in Ontario. In the quiet town of Burk’s Falls, Ontario, a forward-thinking housing initiative has taken shape. Developer InvestorCentric Inc. is transforming recycled shipping containers into functional, code-compliant residences. The project aims to demonstrate how steel containers can deliver affordable housing while addressing the rental shortage in rural communities. As a standout example of shipping container housing in Ontario, this development merges cost-efficiency, durability, and sustainability.
Transforming Industrial Materials into Sustainable Living. Debbie Glassberg, founder of Home Contained, partnered with BNIM Architects to design a groundbreaking shipping container home in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. Known as the Debbie Glassberg container house, this project showcases the potential of sustainable container architecture. Built from five modified shipping containers, the 2,600-square-foot residence represents one of the most iconic examples of a shipping container home in Missouri.
Glassberg aimed to demonstrate that a Kansas City container home could be both eco-friendly and comfortable. Her vision included creating a prototype that would serve not only as a private residence but also as a model for future sustainable housing developments.
Adam Kalkin’s Old Lady House: Pioneering Luxury Container Home Architecture. In Califon, New Jersey, stands a revolutionary shipping container home that transformed sustainable architecture. The Adam Kalkin Old Lady House, also called the Quik House, exemplifies innovative shipping container house design. Built in the early 2000s, this luxury container home converted industrial materials into sophisticated living spaces. As a result, it challenged traditional residential architecture concepts.
In the heart of Victoria, British Columbia, the Zigloo Domestique shipping container house stands as a testament to innovative sustainable architecture. Designed by Keith Dewey, this prefab container cabin challenges conventional residential construction while demonstrating the remarkable potential of repurposed shipping containers as structural elements for modern homes. Read More »Zigloo Domestique: Sustainable Shipping Container Home in Victoria BC
In the early 2000s, Amsterdam hit a breaking point. Student housing Shipping container student housingwas in short supply. Rents climbed fast. Waiting lists grew longer by the day. The city needed a solution—and fast.
Tempohousing delivered one.
In 2005, they launched Keetwonen Amsterdam—an ambitious experiment in shipping container student housing. Built from 1,034 repurposed shipping containers, it became one of the largest modular housing projects of its kind in Europe at the time. It was bold, fast, and refreshingly practical.Read More »Keetwonen Amsterdam: Innovative Shipping Container Student Housing
Infiniski designs and builds eco-friendly houses and buildings based on the use of recycled, reused and non polluting materials and the integration of alternative and renewable energy. The Infiniski projects are designed by James & Mau – Architects and designers, Jaime Gaztelu and Mauricio Galeano, founders and partners of Infiniski. Read More »Manifesto House – A Container Home by James & Mau, for Infiniski
Travelodge, the budget hotel company, completed their first recycled hotel made out of shipping containers in August 2008. The 86 containers used in the Uxbridge hotel were prepared in China with plasterboard walls, electrics and bathrooms already in place before being shipped to the UK, stacked and assembled like lego pieces. The containers are simply bolted together and once installed at the site, windows are fitted, the modules are decorated and furnished, and then the exterior of the building is cladded.Read More »The Travelodge Shipping Container Hotel – Uxbridge, UK
Designer Ken Kwok leads the firm Anand Bungalows, and has a wealth of experience in residential design having built hundreds of homes in and around Malaysia. This recycled container house is located in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang and consists of six, stacked containers – four of which are oriented north and south and two oriented east and west. The four containers are stacked to create a two-story volume with the doors oriented to the north to form partial enclosures for the balconies and windows. In between the container volumes, a double height atrium was constructed allowing for proper ventilation – hot air rises and the windows on opposing sides encourage cross ventilation.Read More »Recycled Container House in Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia
The Redondo Beach Shipping Container House by Peter DeMaria Design Associates is a single-family custom home design utilizing recycled ISO cargo containers. The Redondo Beach Shipping Container House is constructed with a combination of prefabricated shipping containers and traditional buildings materials, and is a stunning beachfront residence. Read More »The Redondo Beach House Container Home
Crossbox is composed of four “containers”, two on the bottom and two on the top stacked crosswise, with living and dining areas on the bottom and bedrooms up top.
CGARCHITECTES designed and built this stunning “Crossbox” house composed in Brittany, France. The modern residence is clad in a low-maintenance material for a sleek finish, while the inside is simply furnished and bright. The top of the bottom box features a green roof at either end, which provides an extra planting region for the home. Meanwhile the overhang of the top box provides shade for a deck area and a mini car.Read More »Crossbox by CGArchitectes – Container Home
Contertainer, designed by dpavilion architects of Surabaya – Indonesia, is an amalgam of two words: container and entertainer. From its outer look, at a glance one can see an architectural form made of several brightly painted containers—red, yellow, blue and light green—in attractive position and composition, thus forming a contertainer.Read More »Contertainer : Designed by DPavilion Architects
The Adam Kalkin 12 Container House in Blue Hill, Maine, ranks among the most impressive & iconic shipping container homes ever built. Owned by Anne and Matthew Adriance, designed by Adam Kalkin architect, and built by Sheridan Corporation—one of Maine’s top commercial builders—this house stuns both inside and out. Completed in 2003, it remains a landmark in cargotecture and architectural reuse.Read More »Adam Kalkin 12 Container House, Blue Hill, Maine. USA
