Posted on 01/15/2018 4:19:51 PM PST by mairdie
A Hong Kong architect has invented what he believed to be the solution of overcrowded cities by turning concrete water pipes into tiny homes.
The OPod Tube Housing system aims to re-purpose concrete tubes measuring just over eight feet in diameter, and turn them into 'micro-homes' with 100 square feet of living space.
It is the brainchild of architect James Law of James Law Cybertecture who designed the build as a possible solution to the lack of both space and affordable housing in Hong Kong.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Designed for urban housing in compact locations, but are OPods suitable for Preppers ?
The pods are still at a prototype stage, but The South China Morning Post reported that if the plans come to fruition, each OPod will cost around $15,000 (£10,885).
Each concrete pod weighs 22 tons, but are easily connected, and can be expanded.
If placed underground, parged to be waterproof, would these make for emergency and/ or nuclear shelters ?
Feasibility ?
Leave it to the Scandinavians - that is super depressing, especially after seeing the luxury RV.
concrete can be surprisingly costly.
what do these cost?
He claims it’s user friendly—it’s nothing like really user friendliness. It very user unfriendly.
Cylinders create too much dead space. Cubes are more spacially conservative.
You could build a full sized house for the price of those tiny houses.
We lived in a small house of 760 sq ft once. Mr. b said he couldn’t turn around too quickly in the bathroom for fear of having sex with himself.
They aren’t cheap per sq ft. but you could take the plans and
build one if you could do the work or contract it out cheaper
than what that company charges. They have been in business
for several years so I have to assume they are selling some.
An American football field is 57596.4 sq/ft, or roughly 1 1/4 acres.
As I mentioned upthread, when I first ran across these modified pipes they were being touted as a good idea for cheap fast "anywhere" housing for homeless, ersatz "free" hotels for vagabonds, and student housing. At the time they were basically just throwing a piece of plywood on the bottom and adding a mattress and door. I suppose that may have been part of the appeal, if someone vandalizes the inside you just remove the plywood and burn it with the mattress and hose it out. Of course that doesnt seem to have really gone anywhere as even the plain pipe isnt actually all that cheap even when (especially when?) using magic socialist money.
Mostly Americans began talking about using them as sheltered housing. One of the problems there of course is the size of the tubes, they are just too small for long term occupation by multiple people and the shape even when extended would cause problems in a short period of time as everyone would always be "walking over" someone else. This had gotten other people to suggest different shapes and sizes but of course there arent many mass produced alternatives, certainly not a honeycomb hex. Septic tanks are always brought up as a safer more protected option for temporary shelter but who really wants to be stuck in one of those for more than a couple of days?
The American DIY tended to look at the large square concrete culverts as it was roomy enough to build a home comfortable enough for long term residence and the shapes involved were easier to work with. Many felt that building their own forms and production facility for custom shapes would be a time consuming pita and actually draw more attention than just ordering your own premade square culvert. Even if that were all true, the price of all of that though seemed prohibitive and its more than just a bit difficult to get something that large and heavy to many of the "good" places to put a shelter.
If it were for a temporary shelter and not for a long term residence, I think I would tend to look at the modified metal culvert were I to buy prepurchased forms of any type. Less concern about cracks and leaks and things and easier to get to your constructions site. If buying a fully finished shelter was preferred there were at one point people willing to finish the interior for you too.
For long term residence in a shelter, people then generally turn the discussion to earth shelter homes . Monolithic slab construction is one way but that isnt exactly DIY unless youre only really doing a bermed home and the purchased slabs again cant be dropped just anywhere.
Ive tended to look at thin shell shotcrete as the answer for protected homesteading as its the only solution that Ive found that to my mind meets the criteria of "cheap" sheltered DIY "anywhere" construction for long term residence.
That song came immediately to mind to me, too. "There will be a four foot restriction on humanoid height."
“But then I’m compassionate for the homeless, not like the liberals who just let them lie out in the street.”
It hasn’t been that long since a “compassionate” libtard recommended buying them all new shopping carts. That would have been a significant improvement in their quality of life, unlike mere shelter from the elements.
Better to use a corner of an existing basement or set up for new one, unless you live close to a likely target. JMHO
My post #81 :
"The pods are still at a prototype stage, but The South China Morning Post reported that if the plans come to fruition,
each OPod will cost around $15,000 (£10,885)."
Mass production should reduce the prototype cost to something more reasonable.
With reduced cost, the possibility of adding additional OPods/ pods could offer expanded housing or specialty rooms.
Then he wouldn’t know if he was coming or going.
Raise our taxes higher so each homeless heroin addict can have one a them.
I’m not compassionate for people who choose to take drugs and live “insane” on the streets. I’m compassionate for mentally disabled who have no one to care for them, and I’d like to see them in a protective village even against their will for their and our protection. I’d also like to see the drug addicts put away in a separate locked village to be helped to try to get off the drugs, then given a hand up in life, OR to keep them there, give them the drugs, and at least keep us safe from them.
The round little micro homes are perfect for the 15% of homeless who really fell on hard times but are mentally stable. If they follow certain rules, I’m ok with helping them.
Here, the cops report 80% of the homeless will not take the Hand offered to get them off the streets. This they aren’t just people having a rough moment in life. They are addicts and mentally ill.
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