The Hive is a prefabricated dwelling, designed as a low-budget starter home for first home buyers in metropolises with overpriced housing markets. With global housing prices rising, less young people are able to afford quality accommodation – these compact pod homes can help fill the affordable housing market gap. Within densely populated cities, the hexagonal dwellings can stack to form Hive-like structures on vacant lots or a-top existing buildings, creating compact residential blocks. These pod dwellings are modular, and relocatable, with new dwellings being easily added to the stacked Hive complex at any point, allowing for immense flexibility. When a pod is removed from a Hive, another dwelling can take its place or be replaced with a shared garden space.

Each hexagonal pod is 25 square meters across the two levels, and 4 meters in height, which allows for a lofted bedroom and the luxury of double height ceilings in the living area which open up the space and create an impression of vast space. A lofted bedroom allows to visually separate public and private spaces, with additional privacy added with a hidden curtain. These compact dwellings provide ample usable space by having furniture that folds away when unused, and includes plenty of hidden storage. The internal fit-out of the pod can be customised to the owner’s needs – such as a larger kitchen, a workshop or studio space or a second sleeping area.

The pods are created from prefabricated concrete panels housed within a steel carcass, which allows for easy attachment of other pods. Using prefabricated elements allows for less material waste, faster and more accurate mass construction. The use of concrete and steel innately allows the pods to be fire resistant, ensuring residents safety when the dwellings are placed together. The interior is created out of sustainable plywood that lines the walls, forms the cabinetry and the inbuilt furniture.