Scottish Enterprise is seeking planning permission for a three-storey office development made from shipping containers at the Seabraes site in Dundee.
The aim of the scheme is to try to attract more creative industries to the site, which used to be part of the old railway goods yard.
The single building is intended to be a pilot scheme and if it proves successful others could follow. An indicative plan drawn up for Scottish Enterprise suggests the site could eventually accommodate nine such blocks.
A supporting document to the application says this would provide ”low-cost, energy-efficient and flexible work pod spaces for young, start-up companies in the creative industries.”
Its adds: ”Most digital media/creative users will use office-type buildings. It is suggested that the 2004 masterplan concept of relatively large, single floor-user buildings is no longer appropriate.
”The completed market analysis has largely determined future building requirements for small, flexible work units.”
Planners consulted with Abertay University, which plays a central role in the city’s digital media and computer games sectors, and found that most start-ups would require office space of only up to 1000 sq ft.
”The workpod cluster of smaller, adaptive prefab units will provide a realistic opportunity for gradual growth and business take-up,” the document explains.
Re-used 30-foot shipping containers have been identified as a quick and cheap way of providing the needed space, as they can be stacked together and easily adapted, with windows and internal stairs or lifts added.