This project is a collaboration between our company, Suyama Corporation in Japan, and a structural engineering firm. Together, we designed and manufactured the containerized camping site. Through close cooperation with a Japanese architectural design firm and thorough research of the geographical environment and climate conditions at the resort location, we successfully translated our client’s hotel camping site project into a containerized reality.
As the ski resort of Hakuba, which has hosted the Winter Olympics in the past. It is famous for its abundant snowfall and exceptional ski facilities, attracting skiing enthusiasts from both domestic and international locations. The region experiences approximately 5-6 months of heavy snowfall each year, with snowfall amounts reaching around 25 millimeters. The average maximum hourly wind speed can reach up to 16 km/hour. Consequently, our container structural design had to account for the challenges posed by this snowy climate and the mountainous road conditions.
Windy and Snowy Weather: Our primary goal has always been to create sustainable, long-lasting container structures, therefore the building must withstand Hakuba’s heavy snowfall and strong winds while complying with building codes.
Module Assembly Variability: The luxury container glamping hotel in Hakuba is assembled from 10 container blocks of different sizes. Therefore, precise assembly and ensuring minimal gaps between each module are of utmost importance.
In close collaboration with the architects from SUYAMA Co., Ltd. and drawing upon our extensive experience in prefabricated container structures, we successfully assisted our client in designing and implementing containerized container structures. This project spanned a total of 15.5 months, from initial design concept discussions, precise structural calculations, and production, to completion. The actual production took 13 months, with an additional 1.5 months allocated for client coordination and waiting for the destination’s snow to melt.
We have reinforced the columns, upper beams, and lower beams of our containers. The columns and upper beams have a thickness of 9mm, while the lower beams have a thickness of 4.5mm. Additionally, we have used Japanese JIS structural steel in critical areas to enhance the strength of the container. As a result, our containers are capable of withstanding snow loads of up to 3 meters.
In our design process, we meticulously plan the assembly details, all drawings are under the guides of precision structure calculations, and during production, we conduct assembly tests at each critical step to ensure that tolerances are kept to a minimum.
Among the ten containers delivered, only the 7x20HC modules adhere to standard container dimensions, while the remaining three container modules are non-standard in size. To help our customers save on transportation costs and time, we custom-designed a removable 10ft frame to combine two 10HC containers into one 40HC unit for transport. We also used connectors to link two 10HC units together, creating an independent 20HC container unit for transportation. This cost-effective approach assists our customers in controlling transportation expenses.
We are delighted to have collaborated with an outstanding team and our clients on this luxurious hot spring containerized glamping site, enabling our clients to commence operations in the latter half of 2023, perfectly timed for the ski season.
We sincerely invite you to enjoy a luxurious getaway in the hot spring cottages overlooking the Northern Alps and experience the four seasons of Hakuba with your family and friends.
