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The tiny house movement has taken off over the past decade as urban
developers have had to find creative solutions to soaring property
prices worldwide. James Law Cybertecture of Hong Kong has joined this
trend with their newly released Opod Tube House, made from repurposed
concrete pipe.
Hong Kong, one of the most populous cities on the planet, has been
especially hard hit as home prices have shattered historical records for
12 straight months this past year. According to the Bangkok Post, an
apartment sold this past November for HK 32,060 (USD 6,915) per square
foot, making it the most expensive apartment per square foot in all of
of Asia. This trend has forced over 200,000 people into tiny partitioned
apartments, averaging no more than 62 square feet, and some are only
able to afford individual caged beds. Government data shows a 9%
increase in the number of households living in “inadequate housing,”
including partitioned flats and industrial buildings.
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Architect James Law of James Law Cybertecture saw this housing crisis as
a creative opportunity to design an affordable home. Thus was born the
Opod Tube House, a repurposed concrete pipe that measures just over
eight feet in diameter. The tubes are designed to accommodate one or two
people and offer 1000 square feet of living space. The interiors come
equipped with all necessary amenities, many with stacked functions, such
as a living room bench that converts into a bed. There is also a
mini-fridge, a bathroom with a shower, and lots of storage for clothes
and other personal effects.
The tubes weigh 22 tons apiece, but they require little effort regarding
installation and are easily stacked and secured to each other, reducing
overall installation costs. The pods are meant to take advantage of
awkward urban spaces that would otherwise be left empty.
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“Sometimes there’s some land left over between buildings which are
rather narrow, so it’s not easy to build a new building. We could put
some OPods in there and utilize that land,” Law said in an interview
with Curbed.com.
Law envisions entire tube communities installed in alleyways, under
bridges, and other such typically unutilized urban areas. The firm has
not yet released the cost per pipe as of yet.
Non-governmental groups say that while pipes and other such solutions
could provide a reprieve, they cannot be the long-term solution to the
housing crisis.
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“We welcome any possibilities to speed up the provision of temporary
housing,” Lai Kin-kwok, convener of Platform Concerning Subdivided Flats
in Hong Kong said to Bangkok Post. “But I want to stress these can only
be short-term arrangements. Ultimately the government must speed up the
construction of public housing.” |