Pipe Dream is a low-cost, high-density, tunnel-like housing scheme developed by ZEDFactory Ltd in response to the need for sustainable, multi-story sheltered private and commercial spaces. The pod-like structures illustrate Charcon Precast Solutions capability to manufacture and supply large off-site units to client specifications.
ZEDFactory Ltd (Bill Dunster) are experts at developing zero fossil energy solutions and have developed the first potentially zero carbon village in the UK, winning many awards for sustainable building design. They have developed the Pipe Dream concept to offer very low cost, super insulated, multi-story earth sheltered accommodation for hotels, student housing, artisan housing plus potential office space.
It is suitable for sites where the green open space is encouraged to flow over the building and where relatively large developments need to fit into a sensitive landscape rather than on it. The interior of the vaults are self finished precast concrete, in the thinnest sensible wall thickness. The units behave as a stressed skin or shell construction so that they need no foundations as such - with soil, gravel or any locally available thermal mass as infill.
Features and benefits
- Consists of two semi-circular concrete cores which fit together to form a tube
- Two sizes available in 2.4m long lengths
- Six units are required to form a complete pod
- The internal surfaces will be self finished, requiring no plaster
- Manufactured using a low carbon concrete mix
- White concrete is used to maximise the daylight reflectivity of the self coloured concrete
- Features recessed craning hooks to facilitate installation and future removal to different sites
- A complete design service is available with concept to completion project management
Charcon Precast Solutions' experience and expertise in purpose-made concrete structures made them the manufacturer of choice to supply the Pipe Dream units.
For further details, contact Ian Cox on +44 (0) 7866 750918 or ian.cox@aggregate.com