The differences between office units, knock-down houses and shipping containers

The differences between office units, knock-down houses and shipping containers that many people still don’t know. Join us to find the answers together in this article.

Office units or knock-down units: a prefabricated office unit (Office Container) is a ready-made unit built on a newly welded and formed steel structure, with insulation and interior finishing already included. The walls are made of various types of heat insulation, and the shape is similar to a shipping container. Using heat insulation keeps the interior cool and maintains a stable temperature, making it suitable for use as accommodation or an office, because it is comfortable and easy to use. It can be lifted and moved, set up as single or two storeys, and several units can be joined together. It consists of a roof, a floor and 4 corner posts, with the floor and roof bolted together, so it can be dismantled and reassembled and is strong. Wall panels, doors and windows are installed with a sliding rail system, so their positions can be changed as required. It is waterproof, with good heat and sound insulation, and very popular today. It is built as a complete unit in the factory, then lifted into place on site.

Advantages: no worries about termites, no time wasted on construction, and the budget stays under control. The whole unit can be lifted and moved (very convenient). It comes in standard sizes, but the material specifications can be adjusted. Fast, ready to use, no need to reassemble. Suitable for rental/temporary use, and for site offices, guard boxes, temporary meeting rooms and so on.

Knock-down house (Knockdown House) refers to a prefabricated house without main columns or beams. The structure is steel or timber, with components bolted/fixed together, and the walls hold the structure together and carry the load. It is produced as components (walls, floor, roof) that are then assembled on site. Building the house therefore means assembling the structure with lightweight wall materials, which makes assembly quick because the panels are already prefabricated. The house uses lightweight materials so as not to burden the structure too much, reducing long-term settlement problems. It is mostly used as a home or resort. It can be dismantled, moved and reassembled (which takes more time), and offers flexibility to expand the space by joining several units together. Quick to assemble, precise budget control, and usually a modern contemporary design. Suitable for homes, resorts, modern offices, sales offices and so on.

A shipping container or Container Box (Shipping Container) is a large rectangular box made of steel with its original ISO-standard steel structure (very strong and durable). Its main purpose is to hold goods, mostly for shipping by sea, which takes quite a long time. Because shipping containers must be stacked more than 10 high, they have to be designed to be durable, strong and able to carry heavy loads. They are mostly used for storage or mainly for transport.

In short:

Office unit: focuses on speed and ease of lifting into place, ready to use.
Knock-down house: focuses on flexibility to expand and fast on-site assembly.
Shipping container: focuses on durability and its original structure, suited to heavy conversion and to storing heavy items.