They measure 10 square meters and have a width of 2.5 meters. This is a project that fights against the lack of space in the country.
High housing prices and little space to build it. These two factors encouraged local architect James Law to work with his Cyberture team to create a type of housing that would become functional, affordable and not occupy many square meters in the center of a city like Hong Kong.
They look like few requirements, but they managed to find the perfect result: the OPOD apartments. These are 10 square metre mini-cases with a width built into 2.5 metre wide cement pipes. Although read may be uncomfortable, the end result is a luxurious apartment within reach of many people and the latest in state-of-the-art technology and with all kinds of furniture that adapts to the little space, which seems to be there. But he's got a lot of surprises.
Each Opod house can be opened with its own smart key, which gives way to an open space in wood, glass and white walls that gives an important clarity to the home. The space incorporates all the basic needs, such as a mini-fridge, microwave oven, a sofa bed, a bathroom with shower and toilet, as well as numerous shelves and openings convertible into improvised wardrobes. It is a house where you play with space to adapt to the needs of each tenant at all times.
Cyberture describes this type of house as an experimental low-cost micro-life solution that responds to the needs of someone living in Hong Kong. Obviously, the architect in charge of this project points out that it is aimed more at young people who move to the city centre and want to find an apartment at a more affordable price. The price for a unit would be around €12,500, but could be rented for around €350, a very affordable cost in a city as saturated as Hong Kong.
The good thing about this type of structures is that they are easy to install on top of each other in any area of the city, without the need for foundations or facades, so they can be a perfect solution no matter where. Although they already have a prototype of this type of house, they still need the government's permission to carry them out, but they hope to become the solution of the future for the living space in their country.