From Ship to Shop: Repurposed for Retail
Harrison Street Oasis, located in Oakland, CA, aimed to provide a home for two emerging and local retail brands, Equator Coffee-a premium coffee retailer-and Urban Remedy- a boutique health food and beverage store-with a rapidly transforming downtown urban location.
The project developer saw an opportunity to transform a tiny backyard space of a remodeled building into a raised courtyard flanked by two custom commercial modular units fabricated from repurposed shipping containers. The retail units focus their energy into the public courtyard creating an intimate gathering space with tables, chairs, and shade structures to provides a welcome oasis for customers and residents alike.
The project was embraced by the City of Oakland and its residents, who have embraced ideas like ‘Urban Acupuncture.’ The utilization of “forgotten corners” in dense, urban locations to create intimate human-scale amenities that provide life and security to the streets has become a model for many other projects currently in the works.
The project was built by UrbanBloc, Inc. a northern California based container modification company, with design and engineering performed by R & S Tavares Associates. This 570 sq. ft. project took just over 100 days to complete.
Both units were constructed to become models for future roll-outs. Studies and tests were conducted both digitally and on the factory floor with the clients to define retail environment, workflow efficiency, and optimal customer and staff interactions.
Custom requirements and tolerances for equipment and infrastructure within such a constrained envelope that needed to be integrated within the overall fabrication system and then finished to an extremely high-aesthetic fit and build quality. The units were constructed to be Plug-and-Play site ready, with only foundation and utility connections in the field. All finishes and assemblies were required to withstand the flex of road transportation yet be seamless and tight as required by Environmental Health standards for food use.
Cost Effectiveness
In comparison to brick and mortar build-outs, the clients report a savings of around 50%. This is partially in design/ build costs and partially due to the revenue generation as a result of the extremely quick timeline. Looking at future projects, the savings are expected to be even greater as the prototyping efforts, permitting and production layouts have been already invested in the units and captured by our procedures.
“We see the use of modified shipping containers as building components growing in the near future,” said MBI Executive Director Tom Hardiman. “That is one of the reasons we worked with the International Code Council to develop more resources for developers and code officials interested in this process.”
This article originally appeared in the Modular Advantage Magazine - Second Quarter 2019 released in May 2019.
More from Modular Advantage
Homes as Essential Infrastructure
The housing crisis is nothing new. Across the world, federal, state, and municipal governments of all sizes are struggling with how to provide more affordable housing—quickly—to those who need it. In Canada, Paul Halucha, Deputy Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada (HICC), argues that the federal role in housing has shifted from funding at arm’s length to actively shaping outcomes.
Building the Future, Offsite
In the face of a national housing crisis, England stands at a critical inflection point where innovation, scale, and public-private partnerships must converge to meet an urgent need: more homes, and fast. Homes England is helping reshape the housing market by actively supporting MMC through a strategic blend of land development, financing, and grants.
How POJI and MOKO Are Industrializing Modular Construction Through Automated Engineering Systems
Working with Scandinavian Industrialized Building System (SIBS), POJI and MOKO helped realize a modular city concept located in Järfälla municipality of Stockholm, Sweden, with 350 apartments, communal areas, restaurants, small shops, and a preschool in a pleasant mix with experiential architecture and greenery.
Inside Boutique Modern’s Mission to Make First Homes Affordable and Efficient in The U.K.
The U.K.-based firm has been in business for 12 years, manufacturing houses for both private clients and local government, with a large chunk of its business coming from “affordable” and social housing. Working in a 32,000 square-foot factory in Newhaven, Sussex, Boutique Modern is changing decades-old thinking about constructing houses, all through the use of modular.
BoulderMOD: Producing Affordable Modular Homes While Training the Workforce of the Future
Colorado has been hit with a double whammy—a decline in the number of skilled construction workers and an increased need for affordable housing. BoulderMOD, a partnership among the city of Boulder, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, and Boulder Valley School District, is tackling both problems and helping others do the same.
Guerdon: Seeking the ‘Holy Grail’ of Modular Construction
Guerdon, a modular manufacturer in Boise, Idaho, recently won what Laurence (Lad) Dawson, CEO and Managing Partner, describes as the ‘holy grail’ for a modular manufacturer. The RFP calls for a pipeline of six projects, totaling approximately 570
units.
State of Modular in 2025: Facing Reality
The critical and urgent reality is that the modular industry needs to open the doors to collaboration across all sectors. The sooner we stare down these challenges, the sooner we can welcome a new reality where modular is the dominant way to deliver housing for better performance, quality and all at a lower cost.
Modular Multifamily Housing as a Scalable Solution to the Housing Crisis
GreenStaxx provides a real-world, scalable solution through its standardized library of modular-ready multifamily designs and its innovative triple-decker model. Together, these offerings address the industry’s two greatest needs: efficiency and adaptability. By focusing on quality, repeatability, and collaboration, GreenStaxx is helping move modular construction from niche to mainstream and offering a practical path toward solving the housing shortage.
Sealed for Success: The Role of Waterproofing in Modular Construction
Water is one of the biggest threats to any building, causing structural damage, mold growth, and costly repairs if not properly managed. Waterproofing is the first line of defense, ensuring durability and long-term performance. As construction methods evolve, so do waterproofing solutions – moving beyond traditional coatings to advanced, factory-ready systems.
From Volume to Velocity: Scaling Multi-Family Projects Without Losing Control
When projects grow too fast without the right systems, factories run into problems. They miss deadlines, crews burn out, and quality drops. Instead of steady progress, chaos takes over. Things slow down, even with more units going through. That’s because building more isn’t enough—you also need to build smarter. That means shifting focus from volume to velocity.