The OPod Tube Housing, an alternative to homelessness in Hong Kong.
Creativity in Hong Kong is paramount. The most expensive city in the world needs housing , especially for young people; and that's where the OPod Tube Housing came from, houses inspired by water pipes that can be installed anywhere in the city.
For seven years Hong Kong remains at the top of the ranking of most expensive cities in the world . The Demographia's 13th annual housing affordability survey in 2017 confirms this.
a floor of nine square meters hill in china town about 311 euros per month . Is it possible to live in a flat of nine square meters and not exceed the claustrophobia and anxiety attacks ? Yes because there is no other choice.
The government is proposing alternatives to population growth (a total of seven million people) and to the housing problem, why not, there is no affordable housing for Hongkongers and even less so for young people.
The OPods can be installed anywhere in the city.
“The cost of living is so high that a large part of the population cannot afford to live in good-sized, well-maintained homes. This especially affects young people who have little hope of having their own home”, says Traveler.es Pando Ng, from the office of James Law Cybertecture.
This has been the reason why James Law and his team of architects have designed the O Pod , which have been presented in the last exhibition DesignInspire From Hong Kong .
A James Law he turned on the light bulb in a work, when he saw some huge concrete pipes of water . From there, the idea of the OPod Tube Housing, houses five meters long by 2.1 meters wide.
“OPod Tube Housing is designed to be an alternative, affordable and modern transitional housing architecture,” James tells Traveler.es.
An OPod costs about 311 euros per month.
They are equipped with folding beds, bathroom, refrigerator, microwave and are controlled by smartphones. “They are nice inside. Not too small and quite warm”, they point out.
The best of all is that they are easily transportable , so they can be placed anywhere in the city without problems, from the top of a building to one on top of another.
Its price? Considering the manufacturing price, more than 1,500 euros each, the price of rent is pretty cheap; about 350 euros per month . For now they have begun to be manufactured, but James Law confirms that they will begin in a few months.
His goal is to function as social housing in the future. In other words, during the time that young people find a good job and stabilize economically, they can rent them temporarily. Wouldn't that be a bad solution for Spain, right?
The OPods are intended as social rental housing.