is the brainchild of architect and developer
JOEL M. KARR. Joel has been involved in the "Green Architecture" movement
since before the concept of green building even existed. Seeing the environmental degradation caused by
used shipping containers, Joel became intrigued by the notion of re-using containers beginning more than 15 years ago,
with his entry to an "idea competition" sponsored by Tokyo Gas ,
in Japan, where he was living at the time. His entry proposed the use of shipping containers to store massive amounts
of garbage produced by the Tokyo Megalopolis, and to collect the methane gas generated, for use in powering housing
units built in front of them.
His interest grew exponentially from there. Subsequent competition entries, years of research and endless hours spent poking around shipyards, dumps, and container storage facilities have only served to increase his interest and knowlege base. Joel's abiding interest in the area has also resulted in the winning of a competition sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Two current building projects are on the boards. One is for a single family home, and the other for a 200 unit apartment complex in Salt Lake City. Group 41 has also entered GOOGLE'S "10 to the 100th" competition.