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Dumpster diving for urban housing

By | October 14, 2011, 5:42 PM PDT

In any place besides one of the nation’s biggest ecologically minded communities and most expensive real estate markets, a dumpster turned house would turn heads the wrong way. But for seven months in San Francisco, Gregory Kloehn worked on converting a dumpster into a space suitable for living.

Taking shipping container architecture to extremes, Kloehn managed to fit a kitchen, toilet, shower, and living and sleeping areas into the space of an eight foot wide by twelve foot long dumpster. The ‘utilities’ are provided via an extension cord, propane tank, and a small water storage system. The toilet can be connected to a septic system. The home’s roof and windows can be lowered for sleeping and a makeshift security system–who would rob a dumpster?

A designer, artist, and veteran of repurposing shipping containers, Kloehn thought dumpsters resembled houses with their slightly pitched roofs. Although the exterior may seem low rent, the interior is tricked out with all the niceties of modern living including  granite counters, a stainless steel sink and back splash, commercial grade appliances, and hardwood flooring. The walls are insulated and covered in carpeting for acoustics. A mini-bar, stereo system, grill and roof top deck (with dance pole) easily allow for entertaining.

Originally an installation piece for San Francisco’s Fringe festival, the dumpster house named ‘Elite Waste’ drummed up enough serious interest that Kloehn is offering to design and build dumpster homes for about 8000 USD. Watch videos of the artist in his habitat:

Related on SmartPlanet: Shipping container architecture delivers relief in Japan, In Seattle food desert, pop up grocery provides an oasis

Via: The Daily Mail

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Sun Joo Kim

About Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim

Contributing Editor, Architecture

Sun Joo Kim is an architect and creative consultant based in Boston. Her projects include design and master planning of museums, public institutions, hospitals, and university buildings across the U.S. She holds a degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Follow her on Twitter.

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo is an independent architectural designer who contracts with design firms. She does not hold any investments in the companies she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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+1 Vote
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Looks like Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch has gone uptown!
The wheels would make me kinda nervous--I think I'd put some bolt holes through them so you could stop someone from rolling your place away, no? And maybe putting guards on the trash truck connecting pipes so you wouldn't get a rude awakening by the new guys on the trash route who might mistake you for the real thing!

Very cool. Thanks for hunting this kind of innovation up--looking forward to seeing more stuff like this!
Posted by klassman6
15th Oct
+1 Vote
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Location, location, location.
I was going to say "don't park it where the trash hauler can get to it" but you beat me to it.
Posted by riverat1
17th Oct
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