When you need to manufacture or repair goods, a shipping container workshop can be a concrete solution. Many businesses and individuals may need a workshop space to do their work, especially for creative businesses such as artists.
For them, a workshop is a space to create, store, and display their work, or a place where they can learn and develop their skills. Every artist needs a workshop as they can learn new techniques, expand their creativity, and develop their artistic skills there.
Beyond that, an art & craft shipping container workshop is also a great idea for encouraging creativity in kids and organizing all crafts that you do in your home or business.
Shipping containers are strong, secure, and have an industrial look that attracts people. Using a shipping container is more affordable than building a wood frame workshop from scratch. Also, it lasts longer than other structures due to its strong steel composition.
Renting a workshop can be a good option. However, if you have a little more budget in your pocket, deciding to own one will not be a mistake! To learn how to convert a shipping container into an art & craft workshop, read this article until the end!
Benefit
Many of you may wonder why choosing an art & craft over the traditional one. That is because shipping container workshops come with multiple advantages, such as:
- High Durability, a shipping container is built to survive ocean storms. Therefore, as a workshop, it offers a robust structure that withstands extreme use and protects your valuable artwork and tools.
- Portable, this will benefit you as you can relocate your workshop without any bends or shifts under the weight of their contents, or while being lifted by a forklift or crane.
- Flexible, With the flexibility feature, you can easily add more containers to expand your workshop as your business grows, without having to invest in new construction.
- Won’t Take Much Time to Build, while the traditional workshops take a long construction time, the shipping container workshop is otherwise, getting your operations up and running much faster.
- Customizable, Every aspect of a shipping container workshop can be customized to meet the specialized needs of your artwork.
- Environmentally Safe, a shipping container is a responsible choice that reduces waste and demands fewer new materials as you can reuse it multiple times.
- Exceptional Security, A shipping container has steel walls. You can also custom advanced locking systems to protect your tools, equipment, and valuable art, far exceeding what you can expect from traditional structures.
- Climate-Adaptability, you need to insulate and have an HVSC system to get your container workshop to perform optimally in any climate and provide a comfortable workspace at any time.
Convert Your Shipping Container Into Workshop Characteristic
Turning an original shipping container into a decent art & craft workshop needs several works. With all the arts contained in one place, you will need a comfortable and supporting space in the making. These are the converting guides you can follow:
Find the Right Container
The process of selecting a container cannot be done randomly. You must be able to adjust your needs to the type of container that you will choose later, especially in terms of size. There are several container sizes that you can adjust to your necessities, they are:
- 10’ Containers: for small enterprises or specialized workstations.
- 20’ and 40’ Containers: for medium to large operations with a variety of configurations.
- High Cube Options (20’ and 40’): Offer additional vertical space for more storage and operational flexibility.
If the container sizes above still can not accommodate your needs, you can modify them. For this matter, you can use several shipping containers and then combine them into 1 larger space.
Apart from the size of the container, you also have to pay attention to its condition when you are about to get one. Buy a new one if you want your shipping container workshop to be aesthetically pleasing. Buy a used one if you want to save some money and are fine with your workshop having a dent or two.
Interior Layout and Organization
When planning your workshop, do it carefully based on your needs and desires. A theme may be a good place to start as you can research straight forward or consult with an expert. Once you find a theme you like, you can then customize everything to make it unique and comfortable to support your work.
Regardless of which theme you choose, you still have to include lighting, power outlets, a ventilation system, storage space, and of course, the exterior in the interior layout.
Electrical And Lighting
Ensure proper electrical wiring for lighting, power tools, and equipment depending on how much power you need. It helps to think about where you want things to be plugged in when designing the inside of the container. You must have enough outlets for all of your tools, so you don’t get encumbered with extension cords running everywhere.
For the lighting, you can use LED lights to brighten up the space efficiently as good lighting is essential for any workshop.
Ventilation And Climate Control
Enhanced ventilation is very important, especially for you, a painting artist who works with chemicals in your container workshop. This is highly recommended for your health and safety. The air quality in a closed environment can quickly become stuffy and most shipping containers are built to be airtight. Other than ventilation, you also need to install a fan or air conditioner to maintain a comfortable temperature at all times
Extra Security
A work of art is a valuable work, especially for you, the creator. Therefore, all items in your art & craft shipping container workshop need extra protection. You can install heavy-duty locks on the door, security cameras, and alarm systems.
Storage Space
During the art and craft-making process, you need a lot of tools and supplies. Therefore, you need shelves, cabinets, and storage to place them in your workshop to place your equipment accordingly. With that, your equipment will not be scattered across multiple rooms in your workplace.
The Exterior
If you’re thinking of building a workshop inside a shipping container, you will need to think about the exterior design. You can try to design an exterior that will complement other structures on your property, like an existing storage shed or barn, so that it blends in with its surroundings.
Shipping Container Workshop Maintenance
A shipping container is made from steel which makes them durable and resistant to harsh conditions. This makes them naturally low-maintenance, especially when compared to traditional wooden or brick-and-mortar workshops. Mostly, what you need to do to keep the excellent conditions of your art & craft shipping container workshop is basic cleaning, some seal replacements, and occasional paint touch-ups.
A shipping container is also weather-resistant, so you just have to add security measures to your container to make it harder to tamper with and prevent break-ins for the rest. What’s more, shipping containers have an average lifespan of 25 years thanks to a design that ensures their durability when traveling by sea. After manufacturers modify cargo containers and transform them into container-based structures, the container’s longevity remains.
Conclusion
In the search for cheaper ways to create a workshop, modifying shipping containers has become more popular than ever. While shipping containers are used mainly for long-distance goods transportation, they are actually much more versatile as an art & craft workshop.
You can get your own 10, 20’, 40’ containers from Tradecorp immediately as soon as you need them. Fill out the quote form immediately to be contacted by our salesperson.