Joburg's 'Jenga' building

A developer in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, has stacked old shipping containers atop a grain silo to create trendy new apartments.

With space for just under 400 residents, the company behind the project, Citiq, hopes to provide affordable accommodation for students in the city.

The view from inside the Mill Junction building which lies close to the central Johannesburg business district.

Shipping containers have added an extra five levels, including a roof top terrace, to the original 10-story building.

Workers give a new lick of paint to the Mill Junction building. The site had lain dormant since the late 1980s.

On the inside, Mill Junction has been fitted with communal kitchens, lounges, study areas and free WiFi.

South African universities have a high drop out rate but Citiq hope the Mill Junction development will ease the burden on students by offering them affordable, centrally located living space.

The inside of a bedroom at the Mill Junction building, kitted out with the needs of a student in mind.

By making use of a prominent (but disused) building, Citiq also say they hope to maintain Johannesburg's architectural and cultural heritage.

• A developer in Johannesburg has transformed an old mill into a spectacular new student residence


• Mill junction is a ten-storey building with shipping containers added to the roof for extra living space


• The project aims to provide affordable apartments while maintaining the city's architectural history

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(CNN) -- Here's an unusual site.

A developer in the South African city of Johannesburg has transformed an old grain silo into trendy residences, re-purposing the entire ten-story building and topping it with disused shipping containers to provide extra living space.

The result may look like a giant Jenga puzzle, but the Mill Junction project aims to provide affordable accommodation to just under 400 students.

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South African universities have high dropout rates, according to figures from the country's Council on Higher Education, with many students forced to quit their studies before graduating.

According to Citiq, the company behind the project, Mill Junction will help students from poorer backgrounds by offering them budget living space close to school campuses. The building has been fitted with communal kitchens, study areas, free WiFi and a rooftop social area.

"Our intention with these projects is to provide people with decent accommodation at affordable prices that is well located centrally in the city," Citiq CEO, Paul Lapham, told CNN.

"I am really excited about how these kind of projects can help address the dire shortage of good student accommodation in South Africa," he added.

As well as providing an important social function, Lapham believes the project has helped maintain the architectural heritage of Johannesburg.

The distinctive grain silos had lain dormant since the late 1980s but provide a striking visual reminder of the old industries once housed in the city.

Adding shipping containers, meanwhile, has put an extra five levels on the original structure (including the rooftop space) and makes creative second use of materials that would otherwise lie idle.

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"Repurposing old spaces plays a key role in revitalizing a city in terms of the people living and working there, as well as retaining the history, character and eclectic feel of these old neighborhoods," Lapham said.

"The alternative of leaving these sites abandoned, or even demolishing them, has the potential to destroy this."

Take a tour of the Mill Junction building by clicking through the gallery atop the page. Are there any similarly creative architectural projects near you? Let us know in the comments section below.