I found these two videos over at Firmitas.org, a site which aims to be the clearing house for shipping container architectural design. The first one covers a group of metal artists in nearby Berkeley that have converted their containers into work spaces. I remember the hubbub from a few years ago when they had to move for some zoning reasons. You can pick-up a few interesting bits of info from the interviews:
The second is a segment from a History Channel episode about Container City in London, UK and FutureShack in Australia. You can see the potential for using shipping containers in relief scenarios:
FutureShack is impressive but I am not sure about the use of plywood in humid environments. The adhesives are the favorite food of many fungi. However, I do like the suspension systems sans roof. Elevating the container is critical in areas where rainfall is heavy.
