From shipping container to beach tower
AFTER storing its equipment in a shipping container for three years, an Adelaide surf life saving club has designed a new tower using the versatile building blocks.
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AFTER storing its equipment in a shipping container for three years, Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club has designed a new tower — out of some versatile building blocks.
The club wants to spend $230,000 on the new tower and decking, to replace its old structure in front of the Seacliff Beach Hotel.
It already has $150,000 in federal funding for the tower, but must come up with another $80,000 to finish off the job.
Club president Andrew Chandler said the idea of using the shipping containers as building blocks had come from the father of one its members — an engineer.
“He has seen a lot of that being done for housing accommodation in mining areas,” Mr Chandler said.
If the club built a traditional-style tower, $150,000 would not cover the amount of storage space that members needed.
“(But) once we put some cladding on the outside, they don’t even look like shipping containers — they can be made to look really funky,” Mr Chandler said.
With Holdfast Bay Council’s approval, the tower could be built by November.
It might also be a good model for other surf life saving clubs to adopt, Mr Chandler said, because it was “something you can quickly get up and running and plonk anywhere”.
New decking next to the tower would allow vehicle access from the beach.
The surf life saving club has asked Holdfast Bay Council to pitch in the remaining $80,000 to turn the project into reality.
But some elected members told last week’s council meeting Seacliff should contribute about $40,000 towards the project — half its current shortfall — with Holdfast Bay paying the rest.
Holdfast Bay Council will discuss the project again at its meeting tomorrow night.
Mr Chandler said Seacliff would consider its finances and negotiate.
