Bristol City Council has become the second client to back an innovative form of factory-built housing that can be built on plots of land not considered suitable, for example city centre car park locations, either on the ground or on raised platforms.
Bristol council has ordered six ZEDpod modular homes as part of its commitment to tackle housing affordability in the city. Construction of the rapid-build dwellings is shown in the video below.
Councillor Paul Smith, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for housing, committed the council to investing in six modular homes from ZEDPods to be built on a site that would normally be seen as undeliverable in terms of conventional development and offered to people in housing crisis within six months, subject to planning.
ZEDPod starter homes offer a high-quality housing solution that can be erected within days and generate more energy than they use. Designed by RIBA award-winning architect Bill Dunster, the zero-carbon ZEDPod offers almost instant housing solutions without the land and site issues associated with a conventional new build.
It is the first solution to specifically address the lack of city centre building spaces with a design that takes advantage of existing hard standings. The six units in Bristol will be assembled simply sitting on the ground or on raised steel decks.
ZEDPods was chosen as a partner for this trial due to its desire to address keyworker and affordable housing issues as well as its focus on zero carbon, sustainability and belief in quality homes for all.
The ZEDPods were on display at Bristol’s Housing Festival launch exhibition, along with a range of other alternative and affordable housing prototypes, which took place earlier this month.
The homes can be built on the ground or on raised platforms
The Bristol Housing Festival is an initiative of Bristol One City, and supported by Bristol City Council, Bristol and Bath Regional Capital, West of England Combined Authority and The Shaftesbury Partnership.
The festival sponsors are BDP, Bevan Brittan, Bristol Festival of Ideas, Burges Salmon, GSM, Homes England, JBP, Rentplus, Solverboard, studioBURO, The House, The Wilsher Group, Triodos Bank, We The Curious, and YTL Developments.
Last month Central Bedfordshire College and a private developer were the first to choose ZEDPods for a development on college land which will offer 23 affordable homes to Dunstable’s nurses, teachers and firefighters.
The one to two-bedroom homes are factory-built to higher standards than conventional houses, being super insulated, triple glazed, with heat recovery ventilation, low-carbon technology and lots of daylight.
The Bedford development is the first ZEDPods project to be built. Dunster, who set up ZEDPods in 2016, said: “As the pods are constructed from quality fireproof, durable and robust materials, they are designed to last as long as a traditionally built home. The pods’ solar roofs generate more energy than the houses consume, so they will also have the lowest possible running costs.”
