Cafés box clever with shipping containers
They’re cheap, stackable and mobile, say owners
DURBANITES are used to seeing ships heavily laden with colourful, corrugated cargo containers, but recently they have started cropping up in places other than our dockyard.
They are being turned into environment-friendly eateries.
Freedom Café in Greyville has been fashioned from a bright red container, and is an example of what can be done with some creativity to produce a very different dining venue that can be tailored to a restaurant owner’s needs.
The cafe’s most recent refurbishment, in February, has opened up the venue to offer a larger, more private space with a fresh tropical vibe, sitting 40 guests comfortably.
The Prep Room, nestled between Glenwood Preparatory School’s playground and Bulwer Park, has made use of five containers to create its open dining space.
The reason for using shipping containers was purely environmental, said Judd Campbell. “There is a surplus of used shipping containers in Durban. Someone needs to use them, so why not us?”
He said their possibilities were endless. “Shipping containers are conceptually industrial, eco-friendly, relatively inexpensive and fit in perfectly with Durban as a seaside city with a harbour.
“They are a familiar sight to the residents of Durban and a great experience for those from afar.”
Architect Brandon Robertson from MTA Bloc architects, and interior designer Jeannie Sherwood from JSDinteriors, worked on the Prep Room.
“Once Brandon had drawn plans, consulted the engineering team and had the containers in place, Jeannie converted our containers into the café,” said Campbell, who believes it takes a top design team to create such a dynamic space.
“Working with containers is not easy – they are long, narrow spaces – but with the right imagination and skill, multiple containers become modular design elements. Kind of like building with gigantic Lego.”
The style is a juxtaposition of industrial with a hint of rustic, said Campbell.
“The smallest details in the design have had the greatest impact on our patrons. It makes perfect sense. We’re making use of discarded containers in an urban setting. It’s cheap, stackable, movable and versatile.
“Schools, storage, training, low-cost housing, mobile shops and even mobile clinics can make use of containers.”
Another well-known container restaurant is Afro’s Chicken on the beachfront which mimics the appearance of containers to give it an authentic South African feel.
“The look and design of the container suited our local brand, it’s reminiscent of spaza shops and cafés that can be seen in many rural areas around South Africa,” said creative director, Kevin Boyd, who feels a “little imagination” can make a big difference.
“Sliding doors were added to allow the front and side of the container to be opened during the day and locked up at night.
“We really like the concept of repurposing the containers to create amazing spaces that can be used for anything – it just takes imagination.
“When done well, container structures are amazing. The styling of the container adds to the ambiance.
“Our intention has always been to be as truly local as we can. The design suited the direction that our brand was headed and reinforced the local vibe that Afro’s conveyed,” said Boyd.