Modular Homes
January 16, 2009
By Lauren Cooke
Space is a fast disappearing commodity in the modern world. With housing prices having peaked and land-banking the order of the day, people are having to find new, innovative and above all enjoyable ways to live. The forerunner of these ideas beats living in garden sheds and under rocks hands down – and introduces the concept of “Pod Living” to a design and convenience hungry nation.
Gone are the days when a home was based on size, space, and location. Now you can have size, you can have space OR you can have location – the three no longer come pre-packaged, and suddenly the architect’s boat is afloat with new, penny-saving yet realistic ways to live.
Although in no way are 'pod homes' a new discovery, the modular concept is relatively new for the Irish and UK Markets and the choices on offer seem to fall into one of two formats - that of garden rooms and modular offices delivered and assembled, or those of bespoke concept items designed by architectural practices and specialist firms. Either way, the choice is growing with new designs entering the market at a very quick pace.
It isn’t a matter of living in a cupboard, but rather taking the concept of space saving and creating a home around a basic, flexible frame – utilizing height, light and liveability within the concept of a pod. Modular units can be piled up, or spread out. They can be added to when families expand, and plopped at the end of the garden to house your rebellious teenagers. They can make use of those scraps of land that no normal house would fit on making brown-field development a more viable option economically.
Pod homes are built largely around two principles – they must be flexible, so users can grow, adapt and change the layouts, and the house can change with them – new levels can be added ( foundations allowing ), as can new rooms. The second principle of pod-design is that of space-saving, utilising great storage ideas (under-bed storage, anyone?) and slimming down lines of sight for less bulky furniture.
For people with low cash levels, teenagers just begging to have their own space, or rapidly expanding families, the advantages are obvious and brilliant!
Click launch gallery for a selection of pod homes or check out the links below.
Links -
http://www.spacebox.info/
http://www.asklife.co.uk/
http://www.containercity.com/
http://www.m-house.org/
http://loftcube.com/
http://ecohab.co.uk/
http://www.studio804.com/
http://www.mkd-arc.com/
http://www.blueskymod.com/
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