Concrete nanotecture to solve Hong Kong's home squeeze
Could these contemporary, concrete micro-apartments be in the pipeline for cash-strapped singletons?
Property prices have doubled over the last decade in Hong Kong, and the city is, today, one of the most expensive places to rent in Asia. Could concrete waterpipes help to ease that pressure on housing? That's certainly the ambition behind OPod Tube Housing, an inventive new style of nanotecture from the HK firm James Law Cybertecture.
The practice believes these micro apartments, fashioned from 2.5 metre diameter concrete pipes, are fitted with smart locks, space-saving furniture, as well as tiny, dedicated kitchens and bathrooms.
James Law isn't presenting the the OPods as permanent, long-term solutions to high-density population problems, he did argue that young people, otherwise unable to afford private dwellings, might consider living in one for a couple of years. After all, Law calculates that the rent could be as low as $300 – a fifth of the average monthly price for a one-bedroom apartment in Hong Kong. And if the pressure on property eases off, the OPods could be shipped out of HK's ports, to wherever in the world they're needed most.
For more innovative, tiny architectural projects get Nanotecture; for more on concrete get Concrete, now available as an appropriately sized mini format.