Tuticorin, a port city, has been the center of maritime trade for the last 2000 years. The architects combined two materials, steel and mud, that are usually not combined. They took the decision after seeing the sheer number of shipping containers discarded in the city. The site, in Tuticorin, for building a 200-person capacity restaurant was a very narrow and linear space of land.
A Linear Space Transforms Into A Restaurant Made From Containers | Wallmakers
We wanted to utilise one of the most abandoned marine wastes: shipping containers, and also explore modular construction. They set each container vertically, as they wanted better room heights, as opposed to the 2.4m dimensions that are generally available when containers are set horizontally. They placed the 12 cut containers using a crane in a span of 1 week. The architects then welded them together to form the basic structure of the building, along with a few RCC slabs. They added them to connect at the floor levels.
The architects added a layer of poured earth on the external surface of the containers to reduce the heat gain and provide insulation. The architects did this since the open site is hot throughout the year. They further worked out the pattern to make it an alternatively recessed one for better thermal efficiency and to reduce the load on the air conditioning systems by 38%. They staggered every alternate container, and designed the south-facing first floor without any wall openings so that the floating containers allowed for better ventilation ( In the case of a passively ventilated scenario ).
The interiors were designed keeping up with the raw and natural texture of the container to create cozy seating areas in the corners. The linear space was planned in a way that it allowed each group of guests to have their own private niche, even within such a narrow plot. Each seating space is naturally lit during the day with a skylight and by a chandelier in the evenings, which has been custom-designed with old wax and pipes. Discarded deck wood and oxide form the flooring of the project. “PETTI” Restaurant, meaning ‘box’ in Tamil, is a prime example that with the right facade treatment, shipping containers, which are a major marine waste, can be used extensively as a thermally efficient material in Tropical urban areas.
Fact File
Designed by: Wallmakers
Project Type: Restaurant Architecture Design
Project Name: Petti Restaurant
Location: Tamil Nadu
Year Built: 2026
Built-up Area: 4720 sqft
Principal Architects: Vinu Daniel & Oshin Mariam Varughese
Photograph Courtesy: Studio IKSHA
Manufacturers: Jaguar, PERSA GLASS
Civil Works: Aviyon Constructions
Construction of mud walls: J. K. Contracting
Junior Architect: Rajesh Khanna
Fabrication: J. K. Engineering
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: Wallmakers
Firm’s InstagramLink: Wallmakers
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