When we are talking about container shelters, there is one thing that we simply need to include in our story and those are shipping containers, the gigantic metal containers that have changed our world without anyone being any wiser. They are one of the unsung heroes of the 20th century and something most people do not think about twice in their lives unless their livelihood is connected to shipping containers. Still, they have contributed to our world in unimaginable ways and they still do. That is why, in this little story of the history and the possible future of container shelters, we also need to talk about the history of shipping containers.
It all started in 1937, when a man called Malcolm P. McLean, an ordinary truck driver, was waiting for his truck to be unloaded in New Jersey. He was standing there looking at all those people loading his truck for hours and hours, watching them load other trucks and then, later, watching some other workers take everything back out of his truck and into a ship, using slings that used to be the only way to move stuff from trucks to ships.
Mr. McLean realized that there has to be a way in which this could be made quicker and more elegant. He envisioned a system where there would be a single container filled with goods that would be easily lifted on and off trucks and ships. It took him years to refine the process and to work out exactly what the best way to do this would be, band in 1956 , the modern steel container was born, He also introduced the model known as containerization which is still used all over the world.
The army was one of the first interested parties and they immediately jumped to the opportunity to make their loading and unloading process quicker and more effective. In 1958, however, it became obvious that it was necessary to standardize containers and their size all over the world in order to enable easy and hassle-free movement of goods. Between 1968 and 1970, this was completed and standardized sizes for shipping containers were established.
The container shelter is an altogether different solution which involves much more than just the shipping containers. The container shelter is a system which employs steel framework and polyethylene fabric stretched over the framework, used to shelter the containers and other assets, mostly during mining operations, but also in other sectors, such as industrial, construction, aviation, agriculture, etc. These shelters are exquisite when it comes to protecting from the elements and they are constantly being upgraded.
The future of shipping containers and container shelters is definitely a bright one as more and more uses for them are found. Who knows, they might one day become a leading new model of housing or even commerce? Only time can tell. The fact is that there are more than a 100 million containers traversing the oceans and continents every day and we really need to do something with those that leave the service after only one trip.