Container Student Dormitory" in Amsterdam [Netherlands].
The Netherlands has suffered from a housing shortage for years. The Netherlands has a population of 17.6 million (as of March 2022) living in a land area about the same size as Kyushu, Japan (according to 2019 data, the population of Kyushu is about 14.26 million).
In addition, many lectures at universities and other institutions can be taken in English, and Kyushu is attracting attention as a study-abroad destination for students. Even though there is a housing shortage, students in a weak position and students from abroad are struggling to secure housing. In this issue, we will introduce "container student dormitories," a strong ally of such students.
History of Container Housing in the Netherlands
Containers are used in the logistics industry. They are large metal containers used for cargo transportation, for example, when transporting goods on large vessels. Since there is a unified standard, it is possible to stack several of them. They are strong enough to withstand repeated use because they are directly exposed to wind and rain on board ships and are used over and over again.
In recent years, offices and stores using containers have appeared all over the world, attracting attention for their durability, capacity, and ease of use.
The container house has a long history in the Netherlands, and living in a container house was already proposed in the architectural design contest "De Fantasie" held in the city of Almere in 1982. In 1987, the city of Almere also held a design contest called "De Realiteit" (Reality in English), and "CAMPUS," a design consisting of five container houses, won a prize. CAMPUS" and the other winning designs were actually built and can still be viewed in Almere (interior tours are not permitted due to the presence of residents).
There is a serious housing shortage. Container housing is the way to go!
As mentioned above, the Netherlands is facing a serious housing shortage, so there is no way but to make use of these container houses, and in 2005, a container-based student dormitory was established. It was the world's first attempt at a large-scale container housing complex for more than 1,000 residents.
I once asked Roxanne, a student at the time, to tell me what it was like to live in the house, so I would like to show you what it is like inside.
Roxanne lived in a unit with a width of 2,5 meters and a floor space of 25 square meters. The first thing you see from the entrance is the dining area and the mini-kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a mini-fridge. A little further in is the bathroom with toilet and shower.
Behind the overhang of the bathroom is a private space. It is furnished with a bed, a chest of drawers, a sofa, and all the furniture necessary for relaxing.
Roxanne chose this dormitory for two reasons. First, it is close to the university she attends and has good access to public transportation. She can take the metro right to the center of Amsterdam, which is convenient for both her studies and her personal life.
Another reason is the low rent. The rent in general in Amsterdam is very expensive for students, but the rent of the container house is an amount that even students can manage to afford. When Roxanne lived in this student dormitory in 2004, the monthly rent was 475 euros (as of April 2010, about 65,000 Japanese yen). In addition, the local government subsidized the rent by 175 euros, so the monthly cost was 300 euros (about 41,000 yen). If I could live in this room for that price, I would be envious.
The lease contract ended. Currently?
Before moving in, Roxanne was worried that the apartment would be too small and difficult to live in, or that she would be bothered by the noise from the neighbors. However, she found that by rearranging her furniture, she was able to secure a room large enough for her to live alone, and with the attached bathroom, she had no problems at all. She said that the noise from the neighboring units is hardly bothersome because the containers are independent from each other. Also, when someone is going to have a party in their room, they call out to nearby residents in advance or announce it on a Facebook group page, so they can take precautions in advance, he said.
The only disappointing point, he said, was the small tank in the shower. When I first moved in," she says, "I was frustrated when I ran out of hot water in the middle of a shower," but after a while she got the hang of it and was able to get over it.
However, for Roxanne, the comfort of living in a "normal house" like the one she was born and raised in is hard to give up. In the Netherlands, container houses have a strong image of being for students, so she told us that she intends to move to a regular house when she becomes a working adult.
And this student dormitory, which had been helping Amsterdam students like Roxanne, will regrettably end its lease in 2020. It was then transported to Groningen, in the northern part of the Netherlands, where it was assembled into a new student dormitory. It continues to be reused as a residence for students suffering from housing shortages.