Architect: Room 11 Architects
Containers: 16
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Year: 2013
Overview
Royal Wolf’s headquarters shows how standard containers can become a calm, high performance office. Room 11 kept the industrial honesty of steel, then used light, landscape and planning to turn potential claustrophobia into a series of generous, green courtyards. The building acts as an administrative hub inside an active depot, so the design solves for noise, dust and heat while delivering daylight and focus.
Architecture and Planning
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Courtyard grid. 20 ft and 40 ft containers are positioned to form four planted courtyards inside a simple rectangle. Every workspace gets a garden outlook and controlled natural light.
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Cut and reveal. Container ends are removed and replaced with full height glazing. The cut steel sheets are reused as insulated sandwich panels, so nothing is wasted and the container character remains visible.
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Legible services. Ceilings are left exposed and insulated from above. A membrane roof and rigid insulation manage heat gain.
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Vertical marker. Two containers are stood on end to create a tall, skylit entry volume that also works as a clear wayfinding and signage element on a flat industrial site.
Workplace Experience
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Quiet inside a loud context. The courtyards create an acoustic buffer from heavy traffic. Planting softens sound and glare.
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Daylight with control. Deep reveals and garden walls deliver even light without overheating.
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Short walks, clear zones. Reception and meeting rooms sit near the entry. Manager offices and kitchen link to secondary courtyards to support informal catchups and team breaks.
Construction Logic
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Whole containers used with targeted cuts only where needed.
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Reused steel skins as internal insulated panels for circularity.
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Roof insulated above the structure to keep services visible and maintain internal headroom.
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Simple rectangular footprint for fast set out, easy cranage and predictable cost.
Why this matters if you plan to build in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan owners often want cool interiors, privacy from the street and a fast build that can phase over time. This project is a direct playbook.
What to copy
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Courtyard strategy. A courtyard plan cools naturally, gives privacy and creates green views, even on small or roadside plots in Colombo, Gampaha or Kandy.
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Above deck insulation. Insulate on top of the container roof and shade it. You keep ceiling height, reduce heat and simplify maintenance.
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Reused materials. Keep visible steel where it looks good, then pair with limewash plaster, cement terrazzo or timber to warm the space.
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Planting as performance. Use native shade trees, climbers and ponds for evaporative cooling. Cheaper than adding more AC load.
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Stack to signal. A single vertical container as an entry lantern or signage tower gives identity without a tall building.
Local build notes
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Thermal comfort. Use radiant barriers above roof sheeting, rigid insulation, ventilated cavities and deep overhangs. Consider double skin roofs with ventilated ridges.
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Ventilation. Cross ventilation with high low openings plus courtyard pressure differences. Add ceiling fans first, AC second.
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Corrosion. Prep steel correctly. Use marine grade primer and a marine grade topcoat. Keep all cut edges sealed.
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Approvals. Work with a chartered architect and structural engineer familiar with Sri Lankan Standards. Confirm fire access, setbacks and occupancy rules with the local authority.
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Phasing. Start with a courtyard ring of containers as Phase 1. Add upper level bridges or a meeting pavilion in Phase 2 without shutting down the office.
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Budget control. Spend on structure, roof insulation and landscape first. Fit out can be upgraded later.
Use cases in Sri Lanka
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SME head offices and depots near Katunayake or Welisara
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Creative studios and co working in urban infill lots
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Hospitality back of house with a street facing café around a pocket courtyard
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Education or health outreach hubs that need speed and modularity
Simple Specification Starter for a Sri Lankan Container Office
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40 ft HC containers for main bays. 20 ft for service pods.
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Courtyard width 4.5 to 5.5 m for shade trees and daylight.
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Roof build up: standing seam or coated sheet on battens, ventilated cavity, rigid PIR 50 to 75 mm, vapor control layer, container roof.
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Floors: raised service floor or polished cement screed on acoustic underlay.
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Glazing: low E with deep external shading.
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Landscape: native canopy trees, climbers on cables, permeable paving, rain garden for stormwater.
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MEP: mixed mode ventilation, ceiling fans, high SEER split units only where needed, LED task lights, PV ready roof.
You want a place that earns its keep on day one. This courtyard container model is fast to install, easy to grow and genuinely pleasant to work in. It looks simple because the hard thinking is hidden in the plan, the roof and the planting. If you are building in Sri Lanka, this is a practical path to a cool, quiet and branded workplace that fits a real budget.
