ZED Villages
According to Shelter, over ¼ million people in England are homeless. 53,480 families in England live in temporary accommodation. Now on display at BRE’s Innovation Park Bill Dunster’s ZED Factory has now spawned ZED Pods Ltd to offer ‘snap together’ houses above car parks. It aims to create ‘pop-up villages’ made from cheap, prefabricated micro-homes on platforms above car parks as a solution to the country’s housing crisis.
Energy Efficient at £65K
ZED Pod claim thee are prefabricated, super energy-efficient micro-homes that can sit on an elevated platform above car parks at big retail outlets, hospitals or municipal offices. The entry level model, intended for two people, costs £65,000 and can be bought outright or installed and rented out for £650 a month.
Enterprise Investment Funding
Funded by the UK government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) its objective is to manufacture and erecting the pods across the UK. With a durable, permanent construction, the pods can be installed as singles, doubles, or clustered together as “pop-up villages”.
Affordable Starter Homes?
Billed as an affordable starter home for young singles or couples, and a housing solution for key workers, student accommodation and general needs, they are designed by RIBA award-winning zero carbon design and development company, ZEDfactory
Key Worker Investment Funds in Place
A funding partner is in place to build, maintain and lease pods back to local authorities and healthcare organisations for use as worker housing, in exchange for long term leases for “air rights” above their car parks. The pods can be installed as singles, doubles, or clustered together as “pop-up villages”
Relocatable
Constructed off site in the UK, according to ZEDpod they can be erected in a matter of days with a forklift. They have a patented raft foundation that exerts no more pressure on existing tarmac than a conventional vehicle. They claim that the homes can be easily relocated at low cost and with minimal wastage.
Exceeds Standards with Low Maintenance
According to Bill Dunster, principal of ZEDfactory, “They can be installed at any large surface car park, such as those owned by local authorities, supermarkets, universities, schools and hospitals, and as all these locations tend to have good transport links, they come with in-built work and leisure accessibility.”
Re-Inventing the Wheel?
Over the years, many firm, our own included, have addressed the for cost effective, energy efficient, people friendly homes. Many innovative solutions have been proposed, but most fail due to land/site owner resistance, especially if they need to provide below ground drainage + services and access areas. It is not, it seem, the lack of Design& Build capacity that is lacking, but the political and commercial will to enable this.
Competency
As long standing Chartered Building Consultants (CIOBC) and Chartered Surveyors (RICS), we were responsible for the initial £60K home Government appeal in the early ‘00’s. Using Off-Site timber shell methods, we also produced very low cost, relocatable produced disaster relief housing (DiRReP) and prototyped small ‘Key Worker Pads’.
Collaboration
In collaboration with other construction professionals we enjoy finding solutions for intractable problems. From early design, through technical development of the structure and manufacturing to transport and erection, we use pre-fabrication to deliver the high quality buildings that architects and their clients want at prices they can afford. Call us to arrange a visit to our factory and discussion with our in-house team of professionals for your next project. You’ll be glad you did!
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