A unique building proposal is bringing green and affordable rental housing to Okotoks.
Town planners have approved an 11-unit apartment building to be constructed primarily out of shipping containers at 2 Lineham Avenue.
Charles Lemieux, owner of construction company Blocks Containers, said he plans to have the units livable within the year.
“I’d like to break ground in the next couple of months, after we get the building permit,” said Lemieux. “It should be up and running by winter, so it’s substantially quicker than conventional-built.”
Not only will the apartment complex go up quickly, it will be largely constructed off-site, reducing the impact on neighbours, he said.
The building will include 11 units, with one studio apartment, a one-bedroom unit, and nine two-bedroom suites ranging from 640-900 square feet.
If all goes well, Lemieux intends to invest in more multi-family units in Okotoks.
“I’m definitely interested in bringing more of these buildings to the area,” he said. “I’ll get this one in the ground, get people stoked on it, and then who knows.”
After investing in real estate and owning a construction company for many years, Lemieux said he was inspired to build with shipping containers after spending some time in Vancouver and seeing SeaCans in the port.
He started with smaller projects for the oil and gas industry and small cottages before delving into multi-family residences. It’s a good way to bring affordable housing to people while repurposing material, he said.
“I believe in what I’m doing,” said Lemieux. “We can give people good rates on rent and still be able to make some money at it.”
He said some people question the suitability of a shipping container to meet building codes, but the complex will meet all the same standards as a conventional structure. The plumbing, electrical, and insulation will work the same way as other homes, said Lemieux.
“You’ve got to think about the container as the shell and the structural component,” he said. “The rest of the building is all pretty much the same.”
Okotoks planning services manager Jamie Dugdale said the building will be subject to the same building and safety code inspections as those constructed with more conventional methods.
“It’s the same as any other stick-built approach, so they would go in at various stages to make sure it does meet code,” he said.
He said the Town has no concerns about having an apartment complex constructed from SeaCans as long as it meets land use bylaw requirements for parking and setbacks. The building will also conform to architectural standards and suit the community, he said.
“We were quite pleased with the appearance this building will have, at least in terms of the drawings we were provided and approved,” said Dugdale. “So hopefully someone won’t walk down the street and say, ‘That looks like a shipping container.’”
The SeaCans will be covered with various building materials, such as a wood finish, he said. While some parts of the building will be exposed shipping container, the finished complex won’t look like it was constructed from recycled cans, said Dugdale.
There are other benefits to repurposing shipping containers, he said. They have less impact on the environment and the developer’s costs are kept lower.
“From a sustainability perspective, you’re reusing material in a way, which is positive, and should help keep the developer’s costs down from what I understand,” said Dugdale. “That cost would be transferred to the ultimate customer and support more affordable housing as well.”
