Pioneering pods to provide affordable housing solution
Pioneering pod company, Elements Europe, is soon-to-launch, timber frame affordable housing solution, Ty UnnosTM a new type of technology, taking off across the care home, student accommodation and hotel sectors. It’s also linked with RoompodTM.So-called because of its Welsh timber frame superstructure and the speed of its construction, Ty UnnosTM – the newly developed affordable housing solution from Elements Europe – literally translates from Welsh as ‘House Overnight’.
Made from low-density timber, usually used for non-structural applications such as pallets, packaging and fencing, the technology is very light weight and yet exceptionally strong. A unique laminating process and clever beam, column and joist arrangements result in a sturdy, load-bearing structure that can be constructed as a three-storey build.
Chief operating officer for Elements Europe, Darren Richards, says. “The type of timber used makes this product inherently ‘green’. Using advanced insulation methods, Ty UnnosTM is proven to perform to passive house standards and also offers exceptional air-tightness to meet The Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, but can be easily upgraded to meet Code Level 5 in-line with project requirements.”
RoompodTM is said to be the only fully functional, load-bearing ‘whole room’ pod product currently on the market.
A ‘stackable’ light steel framed solution it is delivered to site fully-kitted out with all fixtures, fittings and utilities already in-situ. Simply craned into place, without the need for adjoining walls, floors and ceilings, the product allows the building of 12 units per day (up to six storey’s high), reducing a typical construction programme by up to 75%. Also it provides significant savings in the cost of the actual superstructure and it’s these hard-hitting tangibles that are already seeing it snapped up by some of the biggest budget hotel operators.
Ideal too for student and residential care accommodation, RoompodTM is quickly making its mark across these growing sectors, aided by Element’s unique provision of a full scale prototype pod as part of its design process.
Further information: www.elements-europe.com
Prefabricated bathroom pods that 100% recyclable
The use of PETG Thermoplastic by Aquadream means that the basic shell of a bathroom pod – the walls, ceiling and floor – is capable of being 100% recycled when no longer required for its original purpose.Many housebuilders are looking for products that are made from materials which are environmentally friendly and that offer a greater degree of sustainability than has hitherto been available. Because of their recyclable nature, construction companies choosing to install Aquadream products have the possibility of achieving an improved BREEAM rating on their buildings.
All Aquadream products are available as a single unit or as a kit made up of either 5 or 8 parts depending on the style of pod chosen. This means that the company’s products can be installed directly into new builds or during the renovation of older properties.
PETG Thermoplastic pods offer a cost effective alternative to pods produced using traditional production methods. Lower prices stem from the way in which the pods are produced. The manufacturing process is far less labour intensive than regular methods.
The walls ceiling and floor are machine made with the result that hundreds of PETG panel sets can be made by one machine operator in the time that it would take many manual operators to produce a significantly lower number of traditional pod panel sets.
All Aquadream pods are lightweight, durable, reliable, cost effective, and are provided with a non slip surface to the floor. With a solid PETG / polyurethane base in place of the usual metal frame and metal feet, sound transmission through the concrete slab on which the pod sits is eliminated. Levelling is carried out by using neoprene shims of varying thickness.
There are currently three pod designs, the AquaCooL, the AquaZeen and the AquaComfort, with additional designs currently in planning. All pods come to site fully equipped with all the usual items of sanitary ware and are piped up on the outside for hot and cold supplies in HEP 2 O or similar, and plastic for all waste outlets – ready for connection to services within the building.
More information: www.aquadream-sdb.com