http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3EAJex1RVo&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Good idea or bad?
If I remember correctly, and I am sure several will come by and confirm, the containers are only rated for load on the corners and that if buried, they will eventually collapse under the pressure.
acccccccccccccck!
So your vote is Bad idea.
I believe it is correct to say the corner posts are the major part of the structure that carries the weight from the top down to the bottom. They are designed to be stacked that way.
Buried containers would have rusting issues on the buried parts of the steel, don't you think? Ditto the "roof".
Bad Idea!
One of my clients had bought a property at Sheriff's auction. The land had been seized as it was a pot growing business that had a buried container as the grow house.
Now, they had not done all the work the video shows, but had poured a slab on top and built a two car garage over this. What looked like a grease pit was really the access hatch (inside the garage). When I went down to inspect it the walls and roof had partially caved in due to soil pressure and settlement. It was a damp and scary place. These problems, of course, caused settlement of the garage slab and footings - in some cases you could see clear air for 20' under the slab. So the garage was condemned by the inspector. I don't know what was finally done with this structure as my friend sold the property rather than have to deal with it all...
Also, don't bury the school busses like the guy in Canada did.. :) ???
...and don't bury school buses with kids in them like the guys in California did. It gives legitimate school bus buriers a bad name... [waiting]