Shipping containers uses don’t stop at micro units; the recycled frames have innumerable applications in building and design. One of the more inventive ideas for use of the old containers comes from Polish architect Adam Wiercinski, the design mind behind a kindergarten built like a mini city.

“Kids City” is envisioned on a grid system, but with the sloped roofs and cottage-like features kids typically associate with buildings and homes. The city features wings made to accommodate about 25 students and a separate entry for adults. In addition to open classroom spaces, the design really is a small city. Other features include outdoor spaces along the grid resembling small city parks, gardens and greenhouses where students learn ecology, theaters for performances, and multi-purpose rooms with storage. The modular grid system allows for standardization and ease of expansion.

Aside from the green building elements from using recycled shipping containers, Wiercinski’s model is a design that may truly enhance early education. In “Kids City,” students have several spaces to spend parts of the day instead of being bound to a restrictive, small classroom setting. Elements of the design are meant to teach the young minds about agriculture, the environment, and interactions between people and the world around them. “Kids City” also introduces children to a social structure they identify with outside school and that will most likely be a part of for the rest of their lives with so much of the global population living in cities. It's an experiment in experiential education and social interaction in shared space that the typical classroom could never accommodate.
Read more about the design from Arch Daily.