62 | SignatureMT
"D
o you know how many shipping con-
tainers come into the United States ev-
ery day?" asks Great Falls architect Phil
Faccenda. "Twenty thousand. Twenty thousand every single day
– stacked up like skyscrapers in the shipping yards."
Many of these containers are recycled and returned to
other countries to be rebuilt and reshipped, but others remain
unused, piled up in the yards. Instead of leaving them as waste,
innovators like Phil have recognized the plethora of vacant con-
tainers as a source of sustainable, green architecture.
TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE
Approximately two years ago, Phil and his company,
Faccenda Architects, were developing a plan to create college
dormitories using half the budget of traditional construction.
"We found places like France and the Netherlands where they
are using shipping containers for dorms," he explains. "We built
off that idea, made up plans for very functional living spaces,
Sighting at
Local Coffee Shop
Written by Holly Matkin
Photography by K.C. Kreit
Great Falls' Monstrous New Brew is Coming in Hot
