Thinking inside the box: Hong Kong container homes could be on the way
Major developers in talks with local NGO over giving land for stackable boxes that would accommodate people waiting for public housing
Homeless Hongkongers may be housed in prefabricated containers as early as next year in an unprecedented temporary solution that a local NGO is discussing with several developers.
Property giant Henderson Land told the Post on Wednesday it was holding informal talks with the Council of Social Service, on building container homes. But finding land for the project would be difficult, it said.
The council’s chief executive, Chua Hoi-wai, did not confirm Henderson’s involvement, but revealed that developers were willing to lease land at a token rate of HK$1 for the whole plot – if they could find a site.
Task force lists tough ideas to solve Hong Kong housing crunch
The plan was to build brand new container homes ranging from 160 to 320 sq ft in size, which could each house two to five people, according to the NGO. They would be rented at cheap rates to families on the waiting list for public housing.
Up to four containers could be stacked to form a multi-storey block, modelled on similar concepts in Europe.
