Shipping containers can be turned into everything from tiny houses to art galleries, but they all share one issue: poor thermal performance. The Petti Restaurant mitigates this by covering the containers in mud, creating a striking building that stays a little cooler in India's intense heat.

The project, named Petti Restaurant – Petti means Box in Tamil – is designed by Wallmakers. It's located in the industrial port city of Tuticorin, India, where the firm says there were lots of steel containers discarded locally.

Wallmakers used 12 in all, modifying them with large openings for ventilation and adding concrete, as well as the mud exterior, which looks so good that we're thinking more container projects should be finished in this way.