Eco-Conscious Company Turns Unwanted Shipping Containers Into Futuristic Pools
Image via Modpools
Beginning in 2017, Vancouver-based company Modpools has been transforming shipping containers into chic backyard pools. Serving customers across Canada and the US, the brand reuses containers that are typically used once, turning them into portable pools that are easy to build and install.
Modpools’ founder, Paul Rathman, told Fast Company that the idea occurred to him after a family trip to Palm Springs, California. “We’d always tick the box of having a pool. I thought, ‘Here we are going on vacation to experience something we could probably have at home,’” he said.
Previously, Rathman had already been upcycling shipping containers into usable spaces, typically in the form of office units. His attention then turned to building pools.
How it works: Modpools sources for containers that have only made a single trip across the Pacific, usually carrying goods such as mobile phones, computers, or clothes from China to North America. Often, these containers aren’t sent back, or will travel back to China completely empty. Some are left to rust, while others are recycled.
“Turning them into something that you can use for 30 years on your property [is] probably the best form of recycling we can do,” Rathman explained.
While Modpools ensures the containers the company uses are as dent-free and clean as possible, the company still has to convince consumers its containers aren’t garbage cans. Rathman said the container pools would be much harder to sell 10 or 20 years ago, but now consumers are more open to upcycling materials and embracing innovative designs for small spaces.
Unlike regular pools, Modpools’ container pools aren’t constructed on-site. The containers are cut down and customized in the company’s Vancouver factory, and are then installed in just a day at the customer’s home. One of its bestsellers is a combination of a pool and hot tub, which allows families to swim or lounge with bubbles.
At the moment, there are about 800 Modpools that have been installed, with 150 more being built. Rathman said the pandemic has led more people to invest in their own homes and backyards. “I think people are appreciating more what they have,” he quipped.
For more information, visit Modpools’ site here.
Image via Modpools
Image via Modpools
Image via Modpools
Image via Modpools
[via Fast Company, images via Modpools]
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