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UK modular apartment manufacturer ZEDpod proves its value.
The need for affordable social housing in Australia, and built with energy efficiency in mind is urgent. A UK-based pilot scheme to address exactly this problem was initiated in Bristol approximately two years ago: it’s delivered above expectations on every key metric.
So successful has the scheme performed, housing providers want the low-cost modular housing to be rolled out across the country. Costing just £80-a-week (AUD$136.00) to rent, ZEDpod homes were built in St George, Bristol, to accommodate young adults referred by the YMCA.
The zero-carbon modular apartments were part of Hope Rise, a housing project for young adults at risk of homelessness, which also supported them into work or education. They housed nine young adults and one community builder, who helped them settle into their two-year tenancy at the scheme. Aged between 20 and 35, the tenants included homeless individuals, ex-foster care, and refugees at risk of homelessness.
According to council sources, on moving in during 2020, four were working, four were not in education, employment, or training and one was in college. A year on, six were working, one was unemployed, one was in college and one was doing an apprenticeship.
One resident said: “This place has done such a good job of making me feel you have support around you. The people here are so nice, you feel like you are being welcomed with open arms every time they see you.”
The one-bed modular homes cost £370 ($AUD632.00) per month to rent, and with energy bills £46 (AUD$79.00) per month, making them affordable to residents on housing benefits. The average price for a one-bedroom apartment in Bristol is £1,084 (AUD$1850.00) a month.
The modular-built homes are fitted with renewable technologies like rooftop solar panels, heat pumps and triple-glazed doors and windows. The Hope Rise project has also seen the construction of three new electric vehicle car charging stations and cycle storage bays at the site.
ZEDpods have an order for a further 1,200 new homes, with most of them allocated for affordable and social housing.
A report on the scheme can be downloaded from ZEDpod HERE
