A two-bed, accommodation unit made from recycled plastic, aimed at helping the festival industry reduce waste, has been launched.
Reusable, lockable and even stackable, Pod(o) can incorporate solar power, an eco-water supply and even its own bio toilet.
It will also be extendable to form ‘villages’.
It has been developed by Dorset-based, sustainable technology company Above All C6(n), and is its latest structure using recycled plastic extracted mainly from water bottles.
Charlie Hall, Founder and MD, said: “We’ve all seen the shocking pictures of fields full of tents left abandoned after festivals.
Approximately 7000 alone at one of this year’s major events.
“The Pod(o) not only provides a use for single use plastic we have already produced, it also prevents the need for producing more of it.”
Above All C6(n), based in Christchurch, Dorset, uses flaked, single use plastic, predominantly from water bottles, to create the cores for its MESR TECNIC (Modular, Extensible, Scalable and Reusable) lightweight, carbon fibre, building components.
The company won the Most Innovative Solution for Temporary Structures award at the Major Events Summit 2018 in Liverpool in June.
Charlie continued: “Many event organisers are trying to address their waste problems with initiatives such as The Final Straw.
But as festival popularity has grown, so has the production of cheap, synthetic, plastic tents.
Unfortunately, while it is a common belief amongst festival-goers that these tents all go to charity after an event, around 90 per cent of this plastic ends up in landfill.
We are hopeful that event organisers will embrace Pod(o)’s design and environmental value, as well as the rental and advertising potential it represents for their businesses.
The Pod(o) can be ‘wrapped’ in any design, can feature advertising and will also be extendable.
Pod(o) provides an instant, reusable accommodation solution. It’s warm and comfortable. And while we are currently piloting the two-person unit, they will ultimately be extendable and stackable with the potential to cater for thousands of people.”
Above All C6(n) is also working on a way to use the plastic from previously discarded tents in the Pod’s production.
C6(n) marketed the idea for Pod(o) at Fest Out this year and unveiled it at The Showman's Show 2018 in Berkshire on October 17-18.
“People were really interested in the technology behind it, as well as the design,” said Charlie.
“But what makes it especially appealing is the fact that it, like all our building components, provides a use for single use plastic which is a truly, global problem.”
The company has spent the last six years developing the technology behind its structures, from its base on the south coast.
The unique reusable, interchangeable and movable component kits mean they can be used for everything from low cost housing, to retail and manufacturing units and emergency shelters.
Leading drinks brand Moet Hennessy has been using its structures for its hospitality at events throughout the summer.
Charlie said: “We need to change how we think of buildings - how they are made and what they are capable of becoming, and MESR TECNIC architecture holds the key to this.
“And we’re hoping festival organisers will join us by embracing Pod(o)’s potential.”