... A FORUM TO STIMULATE DEBATE ... ... JUST ADD A COMMENT AT ANY ENTRY BELOW... ... FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOWN AND VALLEY ...

Friday 13 October 2017

A solution to our housing problems: zero-carbon, modular housing using space above car parks

One way to deal with problems of space is to build on top of whatever's already there:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal and the Eastern Town >>> apartments over car parks

And one inspiring example has just won a prize:

ZEDfactory's car park 'homes on stilts' concept wins $30K eco award

12 OCTOBER, 2017 BY COLIN MARRS





1 COMMENT

A zero-carbon, modular housing concept by ZEDfactory which uses space above car parks has won a major sustainable construction award

The practice’s ZEDpod product took home $30,000 and scooped a bronze in the European region of the LafargeHolcim Awards.

ZEDpods are designed to sit on stilts above car parks, allowing local authorities to build homes without the need to spend money on buying new plots of land.

ZEDfactory founder Bill Dunster said: ‘I am very honoured by this international recognition which gives additional credibility to the ZEDpod concept. I will take this news back to London and hope to have Sadiq Khan sitting in a ZEDpod soon.’

The awards jury praised the ZEDpod concept for having ‘a vision of an architecture that is socially responsible, ecologically sound, and economically affordable’.

But despite being launched in June last year, the concept has yet to ignite the imagination of local authorities, with no planning permissions granted.

Speaking to the AJ, Dunster said that planning applications for two schemes had already been submitted to different local authorities – one of nine homes and one of 18.



However, he would not be drawn on the location of these two projects.

Chair of the LafargeHolcim European awards jury Harry Gugger, a former Herzog & de Meuron architect, said: ‘We are very excited about this concept and hope this award will give the ZEDpods increased credibility.’

Each pod has a 22.5m² gross internal floor area, though Dunster said they could be combined to make larger properties.

Other award-winners included a project by Belgian practice BC architects and studies to integrate an existing concrete mixing facility in Brussels into the urban fabric.

No comments: