Lida Group, a diversified real estate developer in central China’s Shandong province, has unveiled prototype designs and begun construction trials for new multi-storey modular apartment buildings constructed entirely from refurbished shipping containers. The innovative transitional housing concept aims to provide temporary living quarters for families impacted by the government’s recent ban on dangerous informal container-based labor camps that had arisen near major cities.

Across China in recent decades, makeshift settlements of stacked shipping containers had become common eyesores on the outskirts of expanding urban areas as a cheap accommodation option for migrant workers. However, container camps were often plagued by inadequate facilities, hazardous structural issues, and unsafe electrical systems due to lack of oversight and proper engineering.

Shandong authorities outlawed such informal camps last year, citing unacceptable public health and safety risks to the thousands of families living in container slums. A massive relocation effort has since been underway to remove remaining container villages and transition residents into more regulated housing. Yet local governments have struggled to find feasible solutions at scale given the vast numbers involved and limited land availability near jobs.

Enter Lida Group, leveraging their expertise in affordable modular construction. “We realized container-based structures could potentially provide superior short-term housing if professionally designed and built with people’s well-being in mind,” says company chairman Mr.Mu. After extensive R&D, Lida has developed multi-storey apartment prototypes specifically intended as safe, hygienic temporary homes until permanent relocation is possible.

Rather than stacking bare steel containers haphazardly as seen in banned labor camps, Lida’s container apartments integrate refurbished boxes within elevated reinforced concrete and steel frames. Living modules feature container walls clad in insulated siding, double-glazed windows, soundproofing, and secure rooftop decks. Bright interiors include modern kitchens and bathrooms, electricity, water supply, and renewable energy systems.

Initial prototypes demonstrate the system’s flexibility, with 50-unit buildings taking only 6 weeks to assemble off-site. Units can be configured for smaller families or larger living groups. Structures are designed for transportability, allowing apartments to be relocated and re-erected as communities evolve.

Lida is currently leasing farmland near Shandong job sites for container apartment pilots aimed at housing 600 families within 6 months. Unit rents will be capped at rates 30% below market levels during residents’ transition periods. Infrastructure installation, landscaping, and on-site social services are also provided.

Municipal authorities are assisting with the startup through land access and approvals needed due to the project’s experimental community building approach. Officials hope temporarily housing workers in quality modular villages will help curb re-emergence of unsafe informal camps while long-term solutions are established.

Residents in the initial pilot phase expressed relief that “finally someone is doing something for us, instead of just tearing down,” according to a Lida representative. Families appreciate safe havens close to jobs where “children can play outside and we don’t fear the ceiling collapsing.”

If successful, Lida Group intends scaling the concept across Henan and partnering with additional developers to provide hundreds of thousands of transitional housing units for those displaced by container camp closures. The approach could set a replicable standard for addressing widespread temporary housing needs during China’s massive urbanization.

The prototypes also signify container construction’s untapped potential for rapid modular building beyond labor quarters. Lida is exploring uses as student dormitories, shelter for disaster relief, or even multi-family apartment living if refined as a permanent housing solution. With creativity and engineering, shipping containers’ second lives may be just beginning.

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