Built example you can adapt in Sri Lanka with Hybrid Cargotecture
Project: Private Residence, St. Adèle, Quebec, Canada
Architect and Owner: Bernard Morin
Design: Maison Idekit
Containers: 7 units
Area: 3,000 sq ft
Bedrooms: 4
Year: 2008
Project snapshot
This Canadian home proves how a cluster of seven ISO containers can produce a bright, energy-efficient family house. Corrugated steel is celebrated inside. Outside, five inches of continuous insulation plus timber cladding create a quiet, durable envelope for deep winters and hot summers alike. The composition steps with the forested slope, forming cantilevered wings, balconies, and long views through the trees.
Hybrid Cargotecture can deliver a Sri Lanka version with tropical detailing, external insulation, and locally sourced cladding that suits both coast and hill country.
Plan and layout
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Containers used as structural “bars” that plug in living, sleeping, and service zones.
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Private wing for the primary suite with wraparound balcony.
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Large cut-outs join modules into wide living spaces without interior columns.
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Double-height moments and varied window sizes bring daylight deep into the plan.
Envelope and performance
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Exterior insulation to eliminate thermal bridges.
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Spray polyurethane insulation tuned to climate targets.
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Energy-efficient glazing and controlled cross ventilation.
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Steel superstructure resists wind, pests, and moisture.
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Rapid assembly. Containers craned onto foundations in hours, then finished on site.
Why this matters for Sri Lanka
The same kit-of-parts works beautifully in our climate when we swap cold-weather layers for heat-and-humidity strategies.
Sri Lanka adaptations by Hybrid Cargotecture
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External insulation plus ventilated rainscreen in hardwood, cement board, or metal.
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Heat-rejection roof coatings, radiant barriers, wide eaves, and shaded verandas.
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High-performance windows with solar control glass and insect screens.
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Cross-ventilated layouts, ceiling fans, and right-sized inverter AC where needed.
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Anti-corrosion prep for coastal air and cyclone-ready anchoring.
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Pier, strip, or slab foundations to suit soil, flood, or slope conditions.
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Material palette aligned to local supply chains for speed and cost control.
Use cases in Sri Lanka
4-bedroom family home, boutique villa, Airbnb cluster on slopes or coastal sites, staff housing on estates, or phased builds that add modules over time.
Key specs
| Item |
Detail |
| Structure |
7 recycled ISO containers with welded reinforcements |
| Insulation |
Exterior continuous insulation, interior acoustic lining where needed |
| Cladding |
Timber rainscreen or durable cement board for tropics |
| Openings |
Engineered cut-outs with steel frames for wide spans |
| MEP |
Stacked wet cores, efficient plumbing runs, concealed conduits |
| Energy options |
Solar PV ready, solar hot water, rainwater harvesting, greywater irrigation |
| Build time (LK) |
Shell install in days, fit-out in 8 to 14 weeks depending on scope |
Cost guidance in Sri Lanka
Budgets depend on finishes, site works, and access. As a planning lens, expect a well-finished hybrid container build to fall in the same band as a quality steel or RCC house of similar spec. External insulation and good windows are the best value upgrades in our climate.
Get it built
Our team can design and build a Sri Lanka interpretation of this concept, including approvals, engineering, fabrication and installation. Share your site plan and a target brief, and we will return a schematic plan, structural approach and a phased budget that fits your plot.
