Shopping Mall Made of Recycled Shipping Containers

Modern architecture provides interesting solutions for large commercial buildings projects, that usually come along with a considerable price tag and a tremendous carbon footprint.

Boxpark represents a new kind of eco-friendly shopping centers, since it is made entirely of 60 recycled standard-sized containers. It hosts a wide series of famous brands, known for their eco-conscious attitude revealed though green campaigns, like Nike, Puma, Levi's, Adidas and Calvin Klein, Threehugger reports.

It is located in eastern London, where the residents can enjoy a cup of coffee or an extended shopping session while admiring the bold architecture. It was designed relying on a smart strategy: care for the environment is correlated with good business sense.

The owner wants to allow small businesses to expand, by offering them a commercial space suitable for their needs, with a relatively low rent.

This counts as a good start for many newly-launched enterprises that can't afford to throw money out of the window on prohibitive rent.

All in all, the London-based mall provides a win-win solution, both for eco-conscious clients looking for appealing T-shirts, shoes and sports apparel and for the companies that want to increase their profit margins but depend on a tight budget.

The mall also shelters chic restaurants serving healthy food and an interesting store entitled Art Against Knive that aims to fight crime through art.

It sounds like the best place to go spend some money on fashionable products or to enjoy a nutritious meal on a Sunday afternoon.

Although its advantages are noticeable, both from an economical and environmental perspective, some skeptics reject this idea stating that it represents “one of the least imaginative uses of the shipping container realized to date.”

They do have a point of view, since this is not the first time when shipping containers are used to build amazing facilities. A retired couple managed to use these items to build their very own vacation home.

However, the mall owner thinks his idea will increase its popularity and plans to open new green facilities of this kind all across London.