Shipping containers are being utilized more frequently as innovative buildings. They have been turned into unique coffee shops, flower shops, eco-friendly green houses, and now a classy pizzeria in Barcelona is also getting some shipping container treatment.

This unique pizzeria sets itself apart from other traditional pizzerias. The architect Pedro Scattarella created a very nice atmosphere for customers inside, with an open area allowing everyone to enjoy the height of two shipping containers stacked on top of one another. Once people go upstairs, they'll see a bright red shipping container welcoming them up.

Luxary living "off the grid" is something that might seem impossible, yet through the use of shipping containers people have found creative ways of accomplishing just that. In Nederland, Colorado this award winning home is powered by harnessing the sun through solar panels.

The home was designed specifically to keep the warmth out during the day, and also keep the heat in during those chilling nights. From the outside of the house one can hardly even tell that this house was constructed using shipping containers.

Plans are currently underway to utilize two forty foot shipping containers and construct them into a meeting house for a one acre organic farm. This project is being spearheaded by Ball State University Architecture students and has been named "UrBarn", which is meant to enhance The Project School's Farm Project.

The Project School's Farm Project was developed for the sole purpose of transforming an unused acre of land on 22nd Street in Indianapolis, and transforming that piece of land into a working farm / urban green space. Nicole Miller, a senior architecture major was quoted saying, “There will be the farm classroom where kids will learn about the environment and farming.”

North Dakota is currently facing a unique problem most states would love to be in. North Dakota is experiencing an oil boom which has produced an overwhelming abundance of jobs--Currently, there are more job openings then there are workers to work these jobs.

Workers that come to North Dakota ready to work can expect to have temporary "man camps" set up. These temporary housing compounds support the predominantly male workforce flooding to fill the job openings. Small regions have become so overwhelmed by the sudden growth, some towns are turning away applicants due to the lack of housing.

Shipping containers are constantly being shipped around the world. Shipping containers are rugged, customizable, and standardized. The standardization of shipping containers is known as containerization. Containerization was developed to increase the effectiveness of the transportation of goods. The problem with this is the fact that shipping containers have remained relatively unchanged since the mid 1950s. Containers can be shipped full of goods all the way around the world, and today this has been mastered greatly--however, on the journey back each empty shipping container just simply takes up space.