Who'd live in a garage like this? Plan to turn disused lock-ups into £11-a-week pop up homes
An enterprising architect firm has proposed turning disused garages on countil estates into 'bijou' homes in a bid to solve the UK's chronic housing shortage
The lack of affordable housing is every government's worst nightmare. But one enterprising architecture firm has come up with a novel solution to turn a rows of out-of-use garages into cosy £11-a-week pop-up bedsits.
The proposed scheme is the brainchild of architects, Georgie Revell and Sarah Jenkinson from Levitt Bernstein following a competition run by the Building Trust to provide low-cost housing in deprived urban areas.
The 11.5 square metre pop-up homes in Dalston will contain a bed, small kitchen and bathroom with just enough room for a modest table and two chairs. And there will be just enough outdoor space to park a bike.
A laundry plus further kitchen and dining facilities will also be available, with every fifth garage set to be turned into a communal area for residents. Still, there will be NO room for clutter, so hoarders need not apply!
The homes are expected to cost around £13,000 each – a fraction of the usual cost of a London pied a terre – and the components are completely demountable and reusable.
What's more, the the HAWSE (Homes through Apprenticeships With Skill for Employment) pop-up structures will be manufactured off-site as kits, so there will be minimal disruption to existing residents. They will then be assembled by apprentices to teach them essential construction techniques. It really is a win-win-win situation.
'The proposal targets under-used spaces in high density areas where land value is hight and rising,' says winning architect Georgie Revell. 'We believe it offers a creative and practical interim solution between other development opportunities and we're really excited about the potential to devolop the scheme.'
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So could this be the future of affordable social housing with a heart? It certainly is an incredibly genius way to regenerate rows and rows of tatty garages. Levitt Bernstein is already in talks with a number of local authorities and if successful, you could be popping in to a pop-up home near you soon!
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