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One Architect Wants to Solve Hong Kong’s Housing Crisis with Converted Water Pipes

OPods offer studio-style living in a city where space is at a premium
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Hong Kong.Photo: Getty Images

As in most global cities, affordable housing in Hong Kong is hard to come by. With nearly 7,000 residents per square kilometer, finding somewhere decent to live is an exercise in compromise. But with the average apartment measures a minuscule 150 square feet, some enterprising architects have started to pursue creative alternatives to gain some breathing room.

Enter OPod, Hong Kong architect James Law’s inventive plan to use converted water pipes to create new single-occupant housing spaces. Taking their name from their circular glass opening, Law's units would sit in the gaps between existing buildings and in other spaces where traditional construction is unviable. Made from nearly 22 tons of solid concrete, the pods fit neatly together without the need for much in the way of bolting or other support methods, making assembly and installation a relatively affordable job.

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The units come equipped with a streamlined take on most of the amenities you’d find in any traditional studio apartment. Each fully functional dwelling features a bench that converts to a bed, shelving that can double as a work space, a minifridge, a microwave, a bathroom, and a shower. In essence, it's got everything an apartment dweller would need from a complete—if spartan—shelter.

Hong Kong’s current laws (somewhat paradoxically) allow the construction of housing from converted pipes and shipping containers, but regard their occupation as illegal. The government has shown some willingness to experiment with these sorts of alternatives, but their future feasibility ultimately remains to be seen. Still, it’s an interesting potential solution to what promises to be an ongoing challenge both in Hong Kong and around the world.

See what an OPod looks like in this video from Quartz: