BRE Pod

Projects / Public Buildings

BRE Pod

Project Information

Client: ZEDpods

Project Date: 2016

Site Location: BRE Innovation Park, UK

Project Status: Construction Finished

Download ZEDpods brochure

With housing demand outstripping supply by 500 homes a week, we are likely to see a shortage of suitable accommodation for key workers, young professionals and first time buyers for years to come.

ZEDpods have a solution: decouple land and building costs and build on existing carparks and hard-standings.

The new space standards compliant ZEDpod is designed to take advantage of existing city centre car park locations and hard standings across the UK, either on the ground or assembled on raised platforms, to provide high performance, low energy housing delivered in a fraction of the time of traditional solutions. Once a pod is delivered to site, construction and installation can be completed within 24 hours ready for immediate occupancy.

Who are they for ?

• ZEDpods provide first homes for young people and key workers - erected above existing parking lots close to amenities and jobs.

• ZEDpod occupants enjoy their own balcony and front door, a kitchen and dining table, their own bathroom, a lounging space and a stair leading to a mezzanine floor bedspace with home office desk, double bed and wardrobe.

• The Pods are built to higher standards than conventional homes with superinsulation, vapour permeable draught proofed construction, heat recovery ventilation, aluminium clad triple glazing, hot dip galvanised structural frame with timber infill panels and external insulation. The external envelope is designed to be around 20 years to first maintenance and is constructed from fireproof, durable and robust materials.

ZEDpods design options: raised above parking spaces

The galvanized steel base, lower floor and upper floor are transported on standard artics/ low loaders to the car park. These 3 parts are placed in position over the parking bay using a forklift only. The steel base is filled with local crushed stone or concrete ballast defining the substructure which is equivalent to a raft foundation, exerting no more pressure on the existing tarmac than a typical vehicle. The system is patented. Once in place very little site works are needed to complete the POD.

ZEDpods design options: sitting on the ground

The same simplicity of deployment allows a reinforced concrete pre-cast raft foundation to be offloaded from a delivery HGV and placed on smooth bearing ground or recycled rubber pads. The ZEDpods are simply forklifted into
place, allowing a community to be created over a weekend.

ZEDpods have their own balcony and front door, a kitchen and dining table, a standard sized bathroom, a lounging space with stairs leading to a mezzanine floor bedspace with home office desk, double bed, wardrobe and storage space.

These ready-made quality homes are built to higher standards than conventional houses, benefiting from:
• BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) array of solar panels on the roof
• Super insulated envelope
• Triple glazed windows
• Ventilation with heat recovery
• Exceptional daylighting
• Ultra low energy demand
• Well thought out and practical floor plans
• A ‘Q Assure’ mortgageable warranty when permanently fixed to the ground

ZEDpods floor plans

Living room

Kitchen

Entrance

corridor

Balcony

Ground floor plan

First floor plan

Bedroom

ZEDpods Interior

Two Terraces

East West Terraced-Pod

Communal space under the canopy

Double POD

Shanghai POD - Shanghai Art & Design Exhibition

View Project

Double Pod Plan

Double Stacked POD

Co-living Pod

Affordable Pop-up Village

Puts key worker homes right next to jobs and public transport
Excellent way of providing worker accommodation for businesses in areas where homes are unaffordable