Rath says he had long wanted to build with containers. “And there’s an abundance of them. Most are sold once they sit here for a while.” Shipping containers are “perfect building blocks”, he says, as they can sustain pressure on any angle, are earthquake-proof and can be easily insulated and fitted out. He was previously involved in a container modular construction project for housing during his 20-plus years in real estate development in New York, saying that one of the benefits there was that the houses could be worked on 24/7 in a factory off-site, and installed once finished. Supplied