“”

The Project

Prabaka Designs is developing an exciting new eco-pod for an environmentally sustainable and beautifully designed alternative to caravans and temporary living structures. Carmen and her partners are working with Plymouth College of Art to design and produce a low cost, factory produced, easily removable, fully habitable, small, impermanent single storey building structure in high-spec environmental materials that can be upcycled or recycled cost effectively.

 

The Approach

Prabaka Designs is working with Fab Lab Plymouth at Plymouth College of Art to identify and analyse possible materials and manufacturers. With the support of the Impact Lab's SME grant fund, Prabaka Designs has been able to engage Tufeco, an innovative building company that has developed a next generation, digitally manufactured & deployed build system using recycled glass (silica) to develop a structural, insulated panel system . The Fab Lab team has been working with both Prabaka Designs and Tufeco to develop a structural panel and panel jointing system, fitting the specifications of the ecopod.

The Fab Lab team is using 3D computer aided design and rendering systems to develop the modular systems and to communicate the product development to investors, grant funding bodies and clients.

This project is currently in development, with early prototype building panels being tested.

The Team

Prabaka Designs

Carmen Zurl, Director

Tufeco

Jon Gunn, Director

Impact Lab

Ben Mundy, Knowledge Exchange Coordinator, Plymouth College of Art

Lab Team Members

Ben Mundy

Ben Mundy

Innovation Manager