Müvbox, a container turned restaurant by Sid Lee

This story first appeared in Marketing’s French Daily, au quotidien To launch a new restaurant in Montreal, Pizzaïolle owner Daniel Noiseux hired Sid Lee Architecture to do some inside the box thinking. The result was the first Müvbox restaurant, a standard shipping container that transforms in 90 seconds into a fully functioning restaurant complete with […]

This story first appeared in Marketing’s French Daily, au quotidien

To launch a new restaurant in Montreal, Pizzaïolle owner Daniel Noiseux hired Sid Lee Architecture to do some inside the box thinking.

The result was the first Müvbox restaurant, a standard shipping container that transforms in 90 seconds into a fully functioning restaurant complete with terrace, awning, and solar panels. The Müvbox restaurant was revealed at in the Old Port on Thursday.

Rather than just open more Müvbox restaurants, Noiseux intends to market the converted container concept to other companies, and not just those in the restaurant industry.

“We want to mass-produce the Müvbox; our goal is to recycle the containers with the same basic configuration and then to develop the space according to the client’s needs,” said Noiseux, who is getting ready to launch a new Müvbox for another undisclosed client, and met with other potential clients during Thursday’s launch.

“There were people from Brazil and Mexico who were interested in the applications in their context,” said Noiseux.

The Müvbox kiosks are self-sustaining in terms of energy, handle waste in a responsible manner and use long-lasting light bulbs.

“They told me this concept would be perfect in places with a lot of customer traffic and no water or electricity. They were also interested by the high level of security once the container is closed, and the fast transport at reasonable prices, by land, sea, or rail.”

“Daniel came to us with the concept and we helped him from the beginning with the creation, including the design, the architecture, and the layout,” explained Sid Lee president Jean-François Bouchard. “The original inspiration came from a work by British architect Adam Kalkin, the Push-Button House.”

“[Noiseux’s] objective is not to open restaurants, but rather to sell this concept for all kinds of uses,” said Bouchard. “A Müvbox to sell cellular phones will be different than a Müvbox bar.”

Noiseux’s company can create a completely converted container in 10 to 12 weeks. And there is no shortage of materials to work with. Of the 14 million containers shipped around the world each year, about 2 million are no longer in use with many rusting on the docks of North American ports since the recession hit, said Noiseux.

The price on used containers has dropped significantly in the past six months, he said. It’s possible to buy a nearly new container for about $2,500.

“This is much more cost-effective than to buy and ship a new container from China and is also proof that sustainable development can be profitable.”

These recycled containers are doubly environmentally friendly since they use energy from solar panels that gives them 40% energy self-sufficiency.

The restaurant, which will be open until September, also features lobster from the Magdalen Islands. “We wanted to showcase a product, but it had to be within the framework of Quebec creativity,” said Noiseux.

“This Müvbox is located right next to the CTMA terminal that manages the Islands’ ferry, so I thought it made sense to promote their lobster in classic lobster rolls,” he said. “Right now there is a decline in the demand for lobster. I hope that our Müvbox will help support lobster producers from the Islands.”

In addition to the creation of the interior and exterior designs, Sid Lee also developed the Müvbox website.

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