Preassembled Pod Houses Washington DC

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Don’t worry; there are no extra-terrestrials here. These pods are a new type of housing that aim to invade the real estate market in years to come. They are preassembled homes, each approaching housing issues in a different way. Whether in the water, hanging from a cliff or stacking 30 units high, the pods’ unique designs provide creative approaches to the time, cost and space issues that can impede homebuyers and builders.

Italian architect Giancarlo Zema has designed several pod-style homes that take advantage of non-land properties. Two of these designs, the Jellyfish 45 and the Trilobis 65, are semi-submerged floating water homes encased in high-density fiberglass shells. The Neptus 60 is designed to cling to cliff-faces, utilizing vertical property. All three designs are built to house up to six people and include underwater observatories.

“We believe that the future of architecture is on the water and that shortly [people] will be more and more inclined towards living a floating experience. For this reason our efforts are going towards creating innovative architecture in harmony with nature,” Zema said in an e-mail statement.

Zema’s designs are still conceptual and geared more towards the luxury market than large scale use. The Trilobis 65 bears greater resemblance to a futuristic yacht than to a suburban home, equipped with electric motors which are “not intended for ocean crossings, but to be sufficient for moving the yacht to nearby reefs to explore seasonal changes in marine life and catch a true fish-eyes view of unusual migrating species,” according to