<P> The ubiquity and relative cheapness of used intermodal shipping containers meant that architects began to consider them as an alternative to traditional building materials . Used shipping containers were converted for use in housing, and as retail and office spaces . Examples of its use include the Cité A Docks student housing project in Le Havre, France; the Wenckehof container village in Amsterdam; the portable Puma City store in US cities; the food and retail Boxpark in London; the Dordoy Bazaar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and the temporary mall Re: START in Christchurch, New Zealand built after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake . </P> <P> It has however been pointed out there are problems with recycling shipping containers, that it may not be as ecological friendly or cheap an option as it might appear . The containers may be coated with harmful chemicals such as chromate, phosphorus, and lead - based paints, while its wooden floors may be treated with toxic insecticides, and some cost and effort are involved in modifying containers to make them habitable . Others have noted various issues such as space constraint, insulation, and structural weakness if too much steel is cut out of the containers . </P>

What kind of steel is used in shipping containers