The thermal performance of an earth sheltered shipping container

The aim of this dissertation is to document the process of gaining approval for habitable structurally modified shipping container structures. This work was completed in union with an experimental study into the thermal affect that earth sheltering has on a shipping container, subsequently providing the NEC with an earth sheltered shipping container for storage purposes. Data logging thermometers were used to record the outdoor temperature in Albury, NSW, along with the interior temperatures of two shipping containers. After a period of research, design and application for development, one of these containers was earth sheltered on two sides. Temperatures were logged throughout the process allowing comparisons to be drawn between the two containers before and after construction. Results of this dissertation indicate that earth sheltering has a significant affect on the thermal performance of a shipping container. However, due to an uninsulated shipping containers high thermal conductivity, other contributing factors such as the colour of the container, the aspect of the container and the amount of solar radiation the container is exposed to, can have potentially larger impacts on the shipping containers thermal performance