The recycled shipping containers were sourced from the Pacific Port of Caldera in Costa Rica. “Discarded shipping containers are all over the world and cost relatively little,” Saxe says. “With a bit of creativity and understanding of local building techniques, the interiors can be modified for any client.”
Architect Benjamin Garcia SaxeGabriela Calvo and Marca Peralta had a dream: to live debt-free on their property near San Jose, Costa Rica, surrounded by their horses and the natural landscape. The couple considered building with shipping containers—but were terrified of living inside a tin can. They presented their conundrum to architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe, who cleverly transformed two austere, 40-foot-long metal boxes into a home. The strikingly simple residence, named Containers of Hope, covers 1,075 square feet and cost just $40,000—less than the price of social housing provided for the country’s poorest residents. In developing the design, Saxe focused on rethinking comfort in a compact space. “The key factor was cost, which allowed them to take the risk without putting everything on the line,” Saxe says. “Once they realized size wasn’t what gave them happiness—location was more important—it was easy to move forward.”