Ripple Booklet

BUILD YOUR OWN
CONTAINER HOME
Prepared by Ceardean Architects
Written by Ekaterina Tikhoniouk
All photography by Tania Flores, Ceardean Architects.
© Ceardean Architects, 2015
Design Team: Derek Trenaman, Micheal Malone, Carlotta Canepa, Tania Flores,
Natalia Zarebska, Cathy Trenaman, Sarah Trenaman.
This content is issued for information purposes only. If planning to undertake your own project,
seek professional assistance from an appropriately-qualified professional/architect in your own
country. The design and detailing shown in this booklet is specific to the site.
Many thanks to the Ripple team mentioned below, many of which are BNI
Ireland members, and who donated their time, labour and/or materials
at no charge to realise this project:
Ait Place NAA Ltd

Balmar Ironmongery and Accessories O’Sullivan Safety
Bamboo Suppliers of Ireland Partel Ireland/ Lunos / Ampak
Blindstyle PQ Fibreglassing Flat Roof Specialists
Buyers Broker International Rubber Matting Systems
B&G Ltd RVR.ie / RVR Energy Technology Limited
Ceardean Architects SAP Group
Coillte Panel Products Schiedel Chimney Systems
CMR Specialist Repair Seal Systems Ltd
Decking NI Group (Deck 25) SKI Interiors Ltd
Dryseal Roofing / Hambleside Danelaw Straffan Kitchens
Door Depot Dublin / Carroll Residential Terraplas Rental
Enrich Environmental Ltd The Watershop
Forbo Marmeloum Flooring Systems TileStyle Ltd
Fossil The Stone Specialists Truck & Crane Hire Paddy Devoy
Ger Harte Painting and Decorating Unipipe Ireland Underfloor – Renewables
Greenstar Recycling Vincent Brady Consulting Engineers
Halton Construction Wexford Timber Frame
Hear Me Roar Media 2eva.ie
Heiton Steel
HSS Hire Supporters of the project are:
Idealismart
Interlam Architectural Wall Panels Allsop Space
Irish Wire Products Brian Daly Magician
John Egan Heating BNI Network Ireland
JTM Power Cosmopolitan Communications
JP Tallon DMPR Public Relations
Kingspan Environmental Extreme Structures
Kingspan Insulation Irish Museum of Modern Art
KSM Construction Joseph Whelan Auctioneers
Lawlor Burns & Associates Lilliput Stores
Mannions Builders Providers OPW
Metallica Steelworks PJ&E McGarrell Ltd
MRCB Ltd – Specialists in Paint Punctual Print
Mullingar Electrical Wholesale Re-imagine Sign Specialists
Murphy Heating The Park Studio
M&M Electrical Contractors
Access to this booklet is granted by wish of the Ripple team bona fide,
but we kindly ask that you consider donating to St Vincent de Paul, the
charity to whom the shipping container has been donated.
Written by Ekaterina Tikhoniouk

All photography © Tania Paolo, Ceardean architects, 2015
DISCLAIMER: This content is issued for information purposes only. If

planning to undertake your own project, seek professional assistance
from an appropriately-qualified professional/architect in your own
country. The design and detailing as shown in this booklet is specific to
the site.
INTRODUCTION
The Ripple project is a container fully fitted out as a home
with two bedrooms, bathroom, plumbing, kitchen and
electrical appliances. The objective of the project was
to provide an emergency housing unit for Saint Vincent
de Paul, and the aim was to do this using an alternative
building system. Every aspect of the project was designed
to require minimal specialist input and to facilitate a self-
builder that does not have a very high level of skill.
The project took one week to build and brought together

over 60 contractors who donated their time, expertise and
labour. The container and all materials used within were
donated by suppliers and those involved.
The Ripple project was exhibited in IMMA for a month and

has now been donated to St Vincent de Paul and moved to
Longford for use as a refuge for families.
CHAPTER 1:
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Key considerations
Shipping containers range from 20-, 30-, 40- to 45-foot in
length. 20- and 40-foot containers are easier and cheaper
to source than 30- and 45-foot containers.
The following considerations need to be taken into account:
-Proper planning permission must be obtained if you plan

to use the container as a separate dwelling unit in your
particular region or country.
-The container will typically require a waste water treatment

system, percolation area and soakway, or a connection to
foul and surface drainage area.
-The container must be either internally or externally

insulated.
-The container will need an appropriate foundation

designed by a structural engineer.
-Consideration must be given to how the container will be

connected to utilities (water, electricity and gas) prior to the
commencement of the project.
CHAPTER 2:
DESIGN
St Vincent de Paul Container @ IMMA
Design
The design brief for the project was the conversion of a used shipping
container into fully functional compact residential unit that would house
a small family on a temporary basis.
The internal spatial arrangement of the container was designed to

provide accommodation for a family of 3-4 people, with a bedroom
space, cooking and sanitary facilities, and a living space. The design
criteria included the additional burden of needing to meet all of the
relevant regulations for a semi-public building, as the space would be
used by different people and not used continuously by one family and
therefore could not be considered a private building. The circulation
space of the design had to be in compliance with current access and
fire safety regulations.
The design also required the consideration that the container would be
lifted when complete and moved to its final destination. This therefore
placed restrictions on the fenestration openings that could be made in
the container and added the requirement for structural strengthening of
the container.
CHAPTER 3:
PREPARATION & STEELWORKS
Checking the container
It is crucial to verify that the container is clean from contaminants and

has not been used to transport chemicals. The plywood floor must be
checked for wetrot and the steel base plate of the container checked for
rust as it can often rust heavily. Ensure that the container is watertight.
Siting and foundations
It is crucial that the container is lifted well off the ground. A compacted
hardcore base or a concrete pad designed especially to suit the container
may be used as its foundation. When designing the foundation, care
needs to be taken to minimize thermal bridging. This can be achieved
by placing a rubber thermal isolation plate on top of the foundation.
Main openings
Cutting a container’s wall alters its structural integrity, so an alternative
structure would need to be provided, especially if the container will be
moved. Hence it was decided to cut only one opening in the Ripple
container. The opening was reinforced using a vierendeel truss and
a steel plate was inserted around all four edges of the opening. This
plate was necessary to hold the frame of the combined sliding door and
window element in place.
CHAPTER 4:
WALL BUILD-UP
Vapour control membrane
A vapour control membrane was taped to the exterior of the
container, in order to achieve an air-tightness value closer
to passive standard. Ensure that the membrane wrap is
continuous, especially around the doors and corners.
Fixing the timber frame

The base detail of the timber frame is a crucial part of
the project. A steel plate was welded onto the metal
base of the container. This plate supports a timber sole-
plate and portal frames made from timber studs, which
were fixed at regular intervals. These portal frames form
the main structure, which is independent from the walls
of the container. This removed the need for fixings to be
made through the container’s steel walls and the vapour
control membrane, as any holes would have decreased
the container’s air-tightness.
Steel angles were welded to the container wall at regular

intervals to brace the timber frame, in order to avoid lateral
shearing.
An extruding steel plate supports the timber frame above
the fenestration opening.
The timber frame rises above the height of the roof to form
a raised parapet.
Insulation
it is important that the fabric of the wall is designed to avoid
condensation and wetrot. A warm wall construction was
chosen because the alternative of using internal insulation
increases the risk of condensation and rot, as well as
reducing the interior size of the container.
Kingspan high-density insulation was used in the Ripple

project, and Kingspan was contacted to design wall
insulation for the container that would avoid condensation.
1/3 insulation was used for the interior layer and 2/3
insulation for the second layer. The first layer of insulation
was fixed between the timber battens, with the second layer
fixed on top, and screws driven through to fix the insulation
panels in place. The screws used were Irish Wire’s SPAX
screws, specified especially for the wall, where screws at
regular intervals were fixed at an angle in order to prevent
shearing.
Weathering membrane
A weathering membrane was taped securely to the
Kingspan insulation panels. Infiltrations for the ventilation
ducts were cut in the membrane and insulation layers and
sealed afterwards.
A weatherproof skirting was fastened along the top edge of
the membrance.
CHAPTER 5:
FITTING THE DOOR FRAME
Fitting the frame of the sliding door
Structurally, a post could have been put in the middle of
the opening cut in the container, which would have been
a better option, but because of the tight construction
programme, a design decision was taken to have one main
window element consisting of window panels and sliding
door as this would decrease the risk of the pre-ordered
door panel not fitting. In this design, the steel angle that
would stabilise the doorframe needed to be placed on the
exterior, not the interior of the construction as is typical.
Different systems typically have different baseplates and

it was important to the Ripple team that the final interior
finish of the container would be on a similar level to the
frame of the sliding door, in order to have level access
to the container. Below the doorframe was finished with
fibreglass as a weather proofing.
CHAPTER 6:
ROOF
Roof build-up and drainage
The roof was constructed using a similar buildup to the
wall structure. Fibreglass was used as the primary water-
proofing and drainage outlets were made from a piece of
cut pipe.
CHAPTER 7:
VENTILATION
Building ventilation
With a built system where the inner surface is impermeable
and airtight, it is essential that condensation from building
occupancy is avoided. Thus mechanical ventilation in
the shower/bathroom, living area and in the kitchen is
necessary. The system used in the Ripple project was an
independent system of in-tube heat recovery vents, which
typically recover 80-90% of heat. The proprietary unit
placed into each ventilation pipe was a Partel ‘e² - with
heat recovery’ ventilation unit.
CHAPTER 8:
ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING
Electrical and heating strategy
The electrical strategy and the layout of all of the
protrusions through the wall fabric of the container must be
decided before any work commences on the container. In
the Ripple project, a solar smart meter and a photovoltaic
panel were integrated into the system so that the container
could supplement its heating by generating its own power.
The container’s heating is provided by a stove with a
backboiler which provide hot water and space heating via
radiators, supplemented by the solar panels. Smoke and
heat detection systems were also installed.
To retain the aesthetic of the container, the inside walls of

the container were left exposed. Therefore all of the wiring
had to be surface-mounted with galvanised steel conduits
on the walls and ceiling.
Plumbing
The container was fitted with a conventional bathroom and
kitchen and therefore had to have an appropriate waste
water treatment system, percolation and soakway, or a
connection to foul and surface area drains. All plumbing
fixtures were fitted by a professional.
Electrical wiring along the walls
Electrical wiring along the ceiling
Plumbing fixtures hidden in the floor
and partitions
CHAPTER 9:
EXTERIOR CLADDING
Cladding systems
Various cladding systems such as fibre cement or metal are
appropriate for use on the facade of the container. Bamboo
cladding was donated to the Ripple project by Bamboo
Supplies IRL and is proven to be a durable, sustainable
and long-lasting material.
Vertical timber battens were fixed at regular intervals along

the exterior walls of the container to allow drainage of the
membrane. All exterior timber was pre-treated against
rot. A design decision was made to use different options
of cladding. A secondary system of timber battens was
attached to the vertical battens, which would support the
vertical bamboo cladding. Where the cladding of the facade
is horizontal, a secondary system of battens is not needed.
CHAPTER 10:
INTERIOR FLOOR
Floor build-up
The floor build-up was designed to accommodate thermal
insulation and to act as an airtight service zone. A vapour
control membrane was placed on top of the container’s
existing plywood floor, followed by rigid insulation, then
timber battens and an OSB floor. The raised battens allow
for the services to be integrated into the floor. It is crucial
that the exact dimensions of the layers of the floor buildup
are designed to allow level access.
CHAPTER 11:
INTERIOR FIT-OUT
Layout
The Ripple project was designed to be a fully-functional
home with a living area, bathroom with shower, compact
kitchen, storage area and compliant circulation area. The
bedroom includes a specific double bunk-bed arrangement
that was designed to comfortably sleep four people.
Interior finishes
The interior finishes were designed by Ciara Smullen of
SKI Interiors, Co. Kildare. The steel walls of the container
were spray-painted a light grey in advance of construction.
The interior walls of the container are timber stud walls

with sliding doors built into them. The stud walls are lined
with MDV. Instead of plastering, the MDV walls were
spray-painted a dark grey in order to eliminate the need for
plasterers on-site.
FINAL CHAPTER:
THE FINISHED HOME
APPENDIX
FINAL DRAWINGS
November 6, 2014
St Vincent de Pa
...\ISSUE\14016_5_5100.dgn 21/11/2014 16:34:51

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BUILD YOUR OWN

Ait Place NAA Ltd

Written by Ekaterina Tikhoniouk

DISCLAIMER: This content is issued for information purposes only. If

The project took one week to build and brought together

The Ripple project was exhibited in IMMA for a month and

The following considerations need to be taken into account:

-Proper planning permission must be obtained if you plan

-The container will typically require a waste water treatment

-The container must be either internally or externally

-The container will need an appropriate foundation

-Consideration must be given to how the container will be

The internal spatial arrangement of the container was designed to

It is crucial to verify that the container is clean from contaminants and

Siting and foundations

Fixing the timber frame

Steel angles were welded to the container wall at regular

Kingspan high-density insulation was used in the Ripple

Different systems typically have different baseplates and

To retain the aesthetic of the container, the inside walls of

Electrical wiring along the ceiling

Vertical timber battens were fixed at regular intervals along

The interior walls of the container are timber stud walls

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