Sea Containers
The use of sea containers as a storage building is a common practice in the Pilbara and these are subject to approval by the local government. This approval is based upon compliance to the Building Code of Australia resulting in the need for certification to be obtained to support the building application. In order to obtain a Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3) one item needed is an engineers signed drawing detailing the tie down method chosen to be used. The engineer will calculate the forces generated by cyclonic wind loads and specify footing size(s) and connection details that will resist those forces, this detail will be site specific.
The use of tie down components that have not been checked by an engineer cannot be accepted for certification as shown in the example below.
There are a number of accepted ways to secure a sea container for permanent installation, you should discuss your preferred method with a structural engineer. Typically, for a 12.0m sea container 6 x footing / connections are used;
Before proceeding to install a sea container, enquiries should first be made with the local Council to determine if planning approval is required. This is usually the case, and also there may be restrictions where they may be located and in some cases, recladding or painting may be required if located in a residential area.
