Illy Shipping Container Push Button House

Adam Kalkin,  in cooperation with Illy Coffee, transformed his original Push Button House, made from a recycled Shipping Container, into the beautiful Illy Shipping Container Push Button House.

The original Shipping Container Push Button House started out as a version of his Quik House, a project of Industrial Zombie , LLC, out of Bernardsville, NJ. Industrial Zombie, founded by Adam Kalkin and Matthew Quilty, is a fully integrated design, engineering and manufacturing company. According IZ, “The Quik House is a prefabricated kit house designed…from recycled shipping containers. It has three bedrooms and two and one-half baths in its 2,000 square foot plan. The shell assembles within one day at (the) site, (and) you will have a fully enclosed building. From start to finish, it should take no longer than three months to complete (the) house.” The house comes in the natural “rust bloom” and can be fully customizable.

Shipping Container Home

Shipping Container Home

That’s their main house.

Kalkin created the Push Button House from a single used 20′ shipping container that opens up into an entire house. Powered by a hydraulic system, the structure transforms from a rectangular shipping container to a fully functioning livable house at the touch of a button. Once fully open, the container has six rooms spread across the structure’s floor and walls. There is a double bed, a bathroom with full-size bathtub as well as a dining room, living room with sofa and a fully stocked library.

The home was originally exhibited at Art Basel Miami in 2005. According to Kalkin, the home “clearly demonstrates how the technologies of wider industry can be used to create dynamic architectural conceits”.

As with most modified shipping containers, the final project is fully portable. Illy first showed their Shipping Container Push Button House  at the 2007 Venice Biennial and than exhibited in New York in 2008. Visitors  were able to participate in coffee classes, dance and other performance art. There was also a film about the house, which debuted at the 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival.

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Push Button Shipping Container House

Illy Coffee has long been known for their interest in the arts and for their beautifully designed ad campaigns. Stark, modern and minimalist, the adds we’re very effective in introducing their coffee into restaurants and homes. For the Illy House, Kalkin took their already famous Push Button House and customized it to a portable, fully-functional sidewalk cafe with the push of a button. Once you push the button on the shipping container it slowly begins to fold out, and in 90 seconds the Illy Cafe fully opens, showing a kitchen with cooking equipment and 3 Illy Espresso machines and a fully exposed bathroom (What!?).

Illy Push Button Shipping Container House

Illy Push Button Shipping Container House

Illy Push Button Shipping Container House

Here’s a video of the project from Illy.

We’d like to thank Peter Aaron for his beautiful photography and, again, Adam Kalkin at Industrial Zombie for their inspired use of used shipping containers throughout their work. They take used, discarded, washed-up and left for dead shipping containers and brought them back to life. And unlike their Zombie namesake, the end result is the opposite of the walking dead; it’s fully functioning beauty and art. Way to go guys!

Has this article motivated you to find a shipping container and start creating your own personal work of art? Perhaps you’re a mechanical engineer and you’re trying to come up with an idea for your next project. Or perhaps a smaller version of what you see here in Miami? Sourcing containers from sellers worldwide just got a whole lot easier. Whether you’re in Miami or Madrid, The Shipped.com Marketplace connects buyers and sellers from all over the world, enabling you to get the lowest price possible along with the fastest delivery time. You can sign up in seconds and within minutes sellers worldwide will be sending you their very best offers on exactly what you’re looking for. You’ll have your choice of the highest quality shipping containers at the lowest possible prices. Visit the Shipped.com Marketplace and submit your container request now.

Once your containers arrive, contact us and we’ll be happy to point you in the direction of people who can help you get started creating your own piece of art.

Your comments, tweets, emails and phone calls are valuable and important. So if you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this blog or Shipped.com in general, we’d love to hear from you.

Are you interested in buying a new or used shipping container at the lowest possible price along with the best delivery terms available? Shipped.com saves you real time and money, enabling you to see instant pricing, including delivery and checkout all online!  See Details…