Skip to main content

Stackable units become plug-and-play housing for the homeless

By
A prefabricated modular block of apartments has been opened in London, to provide accommodation for the homeless. The Y:Cube concept was announced earlier this year and its method of construction means that rent can be kept low. Residents will pay just 65 percent of the local market rate. Y:Cube was developed for the international YMCA youth charity, which, among its activities, offers accommodation for young homeless people in the UK. Designed by architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Y:Cube is conceived as "move-on accommodation" for people leaving homeless hostels, such as those run by YMCA.




Based in the Mitcham area of south west London, this first deployment of the concept has 36 one-bed studios, each with an area of 26 sq m (280 sq ft). The units are made from "high quality, eco-efficient materials," such as renewable timber, and are said to be so well insulated as to require little or no heating, even during the winter.
The affordability of the accommodation is made possible by its low-cost construction method. The units are prefabricated in a factory with utilities infrastructure built into them. They can then be easily transported to site and stacked side-by-side and on top of each other, after which water, heating and electricity can be easily connected.
This "plug-and-play" approach makes the Y:Cube concept well-suited to brownfield sites, which may be currently unused but likely to be developed in the future. Not only can the land be made use of in the interim, but the Y:Cube development can be easily dismantled and transported to another location if need be.
The Y:Cube in Mitcham opened on Sept. 8, and will house residents who have either been referred by the London Borough of Merton or who are a previous resident of the YMCA London South West. The YMCA says it hopes to roll out other Y:Cube developments in London and across the UK.




Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Google and Stanford early adopters of Honda Fit EV

By
Honda's first all-electric vehicle is hitting the streets a little early. The  Honda Fit EV  debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2011, and it's expected to be     available for lease this summer. However,  Honda announced  that Google and Stanford University got a special early delivery of the tiny EV this week.The Honda Fit EV is equipped with a 20kWh lithium ion battery, and has an EPA estimated driving range of 76 miles. Google added the EV to its  car -sharing service for employees, dubbed the G-Fleet, in    Mountain View, Calif. The search giant maintains several electric and plug-in vehicles that it uses for research and to cart Googlers around town and between buildings on campus. Stanford University also is an early adopter of the Fit EV, but will be using it primarily for research. The university's automotive research department will study the difference in psychological and physical reactions of using battery...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hand-manipulated objects and transparent displays - the computer desktop of tomorrow

By
A see-through screen, digital 3D objects manipulated by hand, perspective adjustments according to the user's viewing angle - these are the core features of a prototype computer desktop user interface created by Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group. The prototype uses a "unique" Samsung transparent OLED display through which the user can see their own hands to manipulate 3D objects which appear to be behind the screen. A demo video appears to show a working prototype of a computer markedly different from those we use today. Yes it includes a familiar keyboard and trackpad - but these are placed behind the OLED display. The user simply lifts their hands from these input devices to manipulate on-screen (or more accurately  behind -screen) objects, such as selecting a file or window. The video shows the interface in action with a series of program windows stacked behind one another, with the user selecting the desired program by hand, using the depth of the w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bioengineers develop smart, self-healing hydrogel

By
Velcro is pretty handy stuff, but imagine if there was a soft, stretchy material with the same qualities. Well, now there is. Scientists from the University of California, San Diego have created a self-healing hydrogel that binds together in seconds, essentially copying the Velcro process at a molecular level. The new material could potentially find use in medical sutures, targeted drug delivery, industrial sealants and self-healing plastics. The secret to the jello-like polymer hydrogel is its "dangling side chain" molecules, that reach out toward one another like long, spindly fingers. When developing the gel, a team led by bioengineer Shyni Varghese ran computer simulations, in order to determine the optimal length for these molecules. The resulting substance is capable of healing cuts made to itself - or of bonding with another piece of hydrogel - almost instantly. The behavior of the material can be controlled by adjusting the pH of its environment. In lab t...
Post a Comment
Read more