There are ''tens of thousands'' of them across the ACT in front and backyards and on building sites, churches, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, commercial premises and sportsgrounds ''in lieu of purpose-built sheds'', according to the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate.

And dozens of ANU students are currently residing in shipping containers, at the Laurus Wing in Ursula Hall.

There are few controls on the demountable structures. The directorate said there was no blanket law that prohibits the use of shipping containers in residential areas, and a shipping container on a front yard is not prohibited.

They can be up to 12.2 metres long, 2.5 metres wide and 3.2 metres high, and range in condition from freshly painted and pristine to rusting hulks that have covered hundreds of thousands of nautical miles.

And surprisingly, despite their number, shipping containers have prompted relatively few complaints.

''Between 2008 and 2013 at least 19 complainants listed their complaint as being shipping containers,'' a spokesman said.

Residents, aesthetically challenged by a shipping container on a block of land in their immediate neighbourhood, do not have an automatic basis for a complaint.

And it would be inappropriate to impose additional specific regulations on shipping containers in the ACT, former National Capital Authority chief Annabelle Pegrum believes.

Ms Pegrum, who headed the National Capital Authority from 1998 to 2008, says the structures have "pluses and minuses'' and their use needs to be managed as part of the broader issue of preserving and enhancing Canberra's streetscapes.

On the plus side, the containers play a valuable role in commercial precincts and, as structures, have characteristics that allow them to be repurposed in creative ways that can contribute to the city's art and culture.

"Creative and innovative design should respect an object's intrinsic qualities,'' she said.

"In the case of a shipping container that includes portability and robustness. An example of the excellent use of containers was the transformation of two containers into a "pop up'' bar and "pop up'' gallery during the Centenary Year as the Walt and Miz project.''

Australian National University postgraduate law student Natasha Purvis said that as long as designers think outside the square containers can create a positive and comfortable environment.

She has been living in one since 2010 as the first resident to move into the Laurus Wing of the ANU's Ursula Hall.

The 70-unit accommodation block was completed in just six months thanks to the utilisation of stackable purpose-built shipping containers made and fitted out in China.

While not necessarily cheaper than a conventional building, the Laurus Wing has a number of advantages.

These include the speed of construction and the fact that unlike normal college accommodation it can be dismantled and reused on another site.

Ms Purvis, who is due to move out in July after completing her studies, will miss her container home.

"It has been very nice to have my own space even though it is tiny,'' she said. "When it is only you it is fine and I've had parties with up to 12 people inside. There is a lot of hidden storage. I describe it as 'Japanese living'.''

The structure is very energy efficient. "It is light and airy. All the units face Black Mountain so the views are good and we get the afternoon sun.

Her rent, of about $240 a week, is reasonable by Canberra standards and covers all utilities including power and the Internet.

"It would be very hard to find a room in a shared house which offered as much for similar money.''

Nikki Butlin, who masterminded Walt and Miz, said the bar had since been acquired by Lonsdale Street Roasters.

"The gallery space has been acquired by a private individual who will use it as a studio and gallery behind their home,'' she said.

Jane Lynch, of Responsive Engineering, is another fan. In her case a container is used to store components for the locally developed Water Watch system that protects diesel four-wheel-drives from water fuel contamination.

The product was a winner on the ABC's New Inventors in 2011 and Responsive Engineering ships up to 100 units a month.

"Our shipping container is additional secure storage for the business,'' Mrs Lynch said.

"Its virtues are its economy, security and portability."