This modular prefabricated system is based on hexagons, often considered nature’s most efficient shape, to create a home not dissimilar to a beehive’s honeycombs. Hexagon modules have been used to great effect in the HiveHaus allowing a house with a small floor space to feel incredibly spacious.
Each room features several sets of wall-to-floor windows allowing plenty of light in and offering panoramic views. To save space sliding doors have been used between modules and circular skylight have been incorporated into every module giving the house an almost futuristic, Star Wars feel.
Hexagonal rooms might seem harder to furnish and live in than the rectangular spaces we have become accustomed to but they actually work really well in Barry Jackson’s HiveHaus. For example a hexagonal bedroom is perfect as the honeycomb shape allows the bed to be positioned in the middle of the room with the spaces on either side tapering in to allow access without wasting space.
Likewise the living space feels more cosy and communal as seating in a many-faceted room tends to point inwards. Extraordinarily, the rear wall which houses a log burning stove can be opened in its entirety.
Hexagons to me are a far more practical and aesthetically pleasing shape than the often sought after circular or rounded rooms seen in modern architecture programs such as Grand Designs.
Rounded walls and windows are notoriously difficult – and therefor expensive – to build, and don’t have flat surfaces against which to position furniture leading to a lot of wasted space. The hexagon theme of HiveHaus even continues to the bathroom which features hexagonal tiles on its walls and floor.
The only possible criticism I could have on HiveHaus is the quality of the exterior finishes, particularly the white plastic panels and the white fixtures holding them in place. In my opinion HiveHaus should have either tried to retain an industrial appearance and made these bolts a contrasting colour so as not to try and hide them or to try and achieve a minimalistic look by finding an alternative seamless solution.
Personally I’d love to see a white-washed cedar clad version. However this is merely a prototype of a low cost housing solution and so perhaps this kind of critique is misplaced.
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The HiveHaus was recently featured on Channel 4‘s George Clarke’s Amazing Space which you can view on YouTube here. It’s one of several small space projects featured in the program and so you’ll have to fast forward to the end to see the finished HiveHaus (although the programs are definitely worth a watch if you have time). Unfortunately I suspect these YouTube videos won’t be accessible to those outside of the UK but there are other ways to access the program online through less savoury routes.
UPDATE 30/04/2014: The aforementioned YouTube video is currently set as private but you can also view a lower quality capture of the George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces segment here, as well as a 10 minute clip of Barry Jackson showing some guests around his Hivehaus here.
HiveHaus is a new modular building concept developed by Barry Jackson. This low cost housing solution has a lot of potential and to prove it, the designer remortgaged his house and built the first HiveHaus for his family home which can be expanded with more modules over time.
Detailed prices such as those offered by Ecospace aren’t yet available but it was briefly stated in the aforementioned program that each pod costs roughly £10,000. However it’s unclear as to whether this price includes any internal fittings and I suspect more complex modules such as bathroom pods would cost slightly more. Either way HiveHaus has the potential to be a remarkably low cost housing solution and as pondered on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces: ‘Why hasn’t this been done before?’
UPDATE (30/04/2014): HiveHaus are currently working on a Configuration App for their modular living spaces to allow users to customise their own set ups. At first glance the application looks very detailed offering a vast array of build options, and users will be shown the cost of their creation’s materials within the app instantly.
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2024. Is this still a thing. Are these pods still available????
hi i am looking for a well insulated property & just getting educated on the best options for me? i have been looking to down size & be somewhere more rural, most houses in my perfect location are to big, i have a big 3 bed now & it is too much up keep! do you need planing permission for you products? can i size how i want with you? look forward to hearing from you, many thanks Cheryl
You don’t need planning permission as they comply to height restrictions
How can we buy this in vancouver canada. Do you have agent available to help?
Just watching it on TV again. Can you build one for us in Scotland?? If we wanted to do this rather than build a summer house or office in garden.
How about ventilation?
Hi
Do you need planning permission for one if these hive houses? I think they are fantastic for extra accommodation. Fully kitted out…. how much for a two bedroomed house?
what is the planning issues on this thanks
What is the cost for 6 pod complete build
Are these available to be shipped to georgia? How long does it take to get one and how much does a 3pod , 4 pod and a 5 pod cost fitted with essentials bedrooms, kitchen, bath, dining, family, storage, 2 decks?
Hi
Has anyone considered these for glam ping?
Hello,
How much would it cost to have 6 large pods, all kitted out and finished like in the pictures? Approx.
thank you
I am seriously interested to know not just the cost of a hivehaus but how quickly one could be built for me, please?
I would like a HiveHaus built for my main abode so where can I have one erected or is it a matter of finding a piece of land for sale. What about water electric gas etc or is this in the price of £10,000 to be installed.
Hi how much is a 6 pod unit Inc 1 bathroom, 2 bedrooms kitchen and living space
Self assembly
Thanks
Glen
On George Clarke program it was said that planning is not necessarily as its not permanent structure can you please let me no about planning issues
Can you please tell me the brand and name of the fabric featured on the couch in the house.
Many thanks
Please can you send me a price list and the availability
Hi Andrew, this is just a website that wrote a feature article about Hivehaus by Barry Jackson (as seen on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces)
For price lists and more information please visit the official HiveHaus site here.
How do I book a site visit so that someone can come to see if there is enough space at my current house to have a HiveHaus? Any help or advice would be great. Peter
Hi Peter, I suggest you visit the official Hivehaus website and get in touch with them here.
Can you tell me where abouts Hivehaus will be at the 2014 Grand Designs Live expo?
Please could you send me a brochure?
Hi Diane, sorry but this is just an article about the HiveHaus concept. They do offer downloadable PDF brochures on the official HiveHaus website though if you enter your name and email address. Hope this helps
Where did you get your ideas from. I would love to see any ideas, drawings on how your reached to this design.