How A Shipping Container Community Center Uplifted a Neighborhood

Community members from the city of Ashland, Kentucky met at a round table discussion to address their deteriorating neighborhood and high crime rates. The unfortunate decline of the city of Ashland neighborhood was leading to issues with the health, safety, and the welfare of the community. The city needed action for urban renewal. Members and city officials alike gathered to find new ways to uplift their community and reignite pride in the neighborhood.

A Community in Need

To address the city’s concerns, city officials decided to create a shipping container-based community center that would become a corner stone for the struggling neighborhood. The East Ashland Community Center would function both as a police substation – housing offices for a few law enforcement officials – and an inviting space for the public, equipped with free resources. Specifically, city officials wanted to provide free Wi-Fi for the community as well as a safe space for kids.

New Resources, New Opportunities

The creation of the East Ashland Community Center was intended help bridge the gap between community leaders and citizens. In doing so, the center would act as both a public resource as well as a police substation. The community hoped that the center would bring the neighborhood together in new ways, creating new opportunities.

With the help of Falcon Structures, the creation of the community center now offers the city of Ashland more than just a new and unique building with a police office. The container structure includes a kids’ computer lab, a small library, kitchen space, comfortable seating, and a playground outback.

The bright blue color of the structure catches the attention of onlookers and invites people in with its friendly and exciting appearance. In fact, the exterior of the center – with its bright color and industrial container aesthetic – was intended to energize and help uplift the community. The space has become a symbol of pride for the neighborhood.

The increased police presence was intended to improve the safety of the area by making the officers more approachable to the citizens. Not only is the center a way to provide new and needed resources for the community, but it helps integrate the community and the police presence in a versatile space for all.

Why Shipping Container Structures?

The choice of shipping containers not only offered a unique looking building that caught the attention of the neighborhood, it also benefited the project practically. For example, the city needed to make the most of an obscure sized lot. The site is small and narrow, so the rectangular shape of shipping containers fit perfectly in the space, while offering enough internal space for the variety of intended uses.

Placing multiple shipping containers together, to create a larger space, allowed for the versatility the city was looking for. The decided layout included three 40-foot shipping containers with a high cube as the middle container – which stands a foot taller than standard containers. Internally, the structure was divided to include a private office, a restroom, a kitchen, and a foyer.

Beyond the size and configuration of the shipping containers, the city wanted to keep the units mobile, to relocate them in the future as needed. Shipping containers offered the perfect mobile solution. When the time comes for the city to move the structure, the containers can be pulled apart, loaded on to trucks, and shipped to their new destination.

Additionally, the city needed a durable solution for their community center. In the hopes that the center would receive a lot of foot traffic, would possibly relocate in the future, and house a variety of activities, the center must remain safe without showing significant signs of wear and tear. Shipping containers became the ideal solution thanks to their dependability and inherent durability.

Building with Falcon

Falcon utilized their expertise to build a unique and versatile structure that could evolve with the city as needed, modifying the units with proven techniques. If you’d like to learn more about working with Falcon to create a shipping container structure for your city, company, or organization, give us a call at  877-704-0177 or email us at Sales@FalconStructures.com.