Team:Dwellings/Sleepbox

Sleepbox produce sleepboxes, which are expensive luxury units for public spaces, either indoors or outdoors. However they pointed out that their manufacturers can create custom boxes for us. For more information and communications to date, see the main article.

Communications

Initial request, Sent: 11 May 2013 06:50

To: info@sleepbox.co.uk Subject: Request for information for either Sleepbox or custom designs

Good afternoon,

My name is xxx, from yyy, and I'm one of the coordinators of a sustainable community currently being planned to be implemented in early 2015. The community, which is non-profit, is composed of 10.000 people, and our budget will require that, at least for the time being, we share accommodation in large, simple economic buildings.

The people in the community will spend most of the time in communal areas of a University-like building, and will sleeping in communal buildings. We require for our bedding a very modest cost per person. However we're looking for alternatives to bunk beds, for providing greater privacy, and we are considering something equivalent to the Japanese capsule hotels.

I wonder if you could provide me with an estimate cost for the most bare-bones 3-bed sleepboxes, in large quantities; if within our budget, we'd purchase 3350 of them, or 10,000 capsule hotel-like structures, by the end of 2014. I've noticed that the sleepbox weighs over a tonne, which is not an issue in terms of weight, but I wonder if the materials causing such weight would in themselves be a significant cost.

I appreciate any information you could provide me with. I only need a very general (although realistic) estimate. I'd also appreciate if you can provide some customisations that would reduce the cost, considering these sleepboxes will not be in public places, and we would prefer if they can be side by side lengthwise (i.e. capable of being entered from one of the narrow sides, which would be the front). Finally, should you not be able to provide these, I'd appreciate if you could point me in some direction in terms of manufacturers who could build these.

I can to be contacted through email at [...].

Best regards,

xxx

Initial response, On 11 May 2013 19:49

On 11 May 2013 19:49, mark@sleepbox <markg@sleepbox.co.uk> wrote: Dear xxx,

Thank you for yor enquiry.

Based on your requirements I do not think the Sleepboxes in their current format would be applicable to your project as the cost would be too prohibitive, quality, weight, construction costs etc. You are correct in that the quality of the Sleepboxes (the weight) contributes to the cost as the boxes are double skinned for soundproofing, full electical facilities, blinds, ventilation, quality - built to last etc and they are designed for other environments where quality, comfort and facilities are more essential and cost is not prohibitive because the boxes themselves will be rented out earning an income.

That being said our colleagues in Russia are architects and can design boxes for multiple applications per specific projects. In fact they have just won an industry award for the new Sleepbox hotel in Moscow for design and concept. Given the numbers involved they could design/come up with a possible solution for your specific project as opposed to you trying to find an existing product to somehow suit your project.

Obviously they could strip the boxes to the bare bones as you suggest which would reduce any such price accordingly of a current box but more applicable I think they could create a new box specifically designed for your project (maybe end entrance as you suggest) that could possibly be bigger, smaller, incorporate more/less people, interlinked, modular that could be stacked on top of each other, different skins/materials to reduce costs etc etc.

So perhaps if I can throw this back to you first if I may with some questions of my own?

1. Will the boxes be housed indoors or outdoors at all times?
2. What lifespan do you want on the product ie quality?
3. If the units are to be housed indoors what is the perceived height restriction and/or ground floor area?
4. Would you prefer bigger units for more people to share or singular units for privacy similar to the japanese capsule hotels?
5. I presume at the very least each unit requires power and/or lighting? Do the units need to be lockable?
6. Most importantly what is your budget per person?

Based on the above answers we can consider the options available. Similarly we would need to factor in how many units could be shipped in a 40ft sea container, flat pack, easy to build on site by existing personel so as to keep the costs down but most importantly they must be structurally sound either singular or modular. We would also need to factor in build times for such a volume.

If you could consider the above questions and get back to me with your thoughts initially then we can consider all of the possibilites available to you and possibly present you with a bespoke solution for your project.

I hope this meets with your approval and look forward to discussing this with you further.

Best regards

Mark Grainger Director

Second contact, Sent 12 May 2013 11:30am

Hi Mark,

Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough response!

We have already been looking for manufacturers of currently existing Capsule Hotels, to no avail, so your assistance for contacting your manufacturers and suppliers in Russia will certainly be fantastic! We have a few Russian technicians who can assist with the dialogue between the parties, should this be convenient. We have engineers that can perform the proper technical drawings, which can assist with the negotiations.

I have attached two images for what we are trying to achieve, in terms of design and end-product looks, although a google images search for Capsule Hotel can render a number of variations on the same concept. This is an idea we're considering, and we're keen to listening for, and evaluating, any suggested alternatives and variety. Issues like ventilation may be required, for example, possibly requiring something like a narrow gap at the floor and roof levels connecting to the back of each module, but engineers will have a much better idea about this than I could possibly have myself.

Addressing your questions:

1. Will the boxes be housed indoors or outdoors at all times?

All the boxes will be housed indoors, in properly ventilated and air-conditioned large rooms with a steady temperature.

2. What lifespan do you want on the product ie quality?

As long-lasting as we can afford. We would like to negotiate features to balance quality and features. The structures could be either plastic, fiberglass or an alternative material, ideally flame-resistant and reinforced with metal bars for strength. Only the front would be visible, though, so the outside material doesn't need to be neat.

3. If the units are to be housed indoors what is the perceived height restriction and/or ground floor area?

We believe that 110cm room from the top of the mattress to the internal roof would be sufficient. We calculate that 250cm x 130cm x 130cm would be adequate per unit, and wide enough to hold an Australian-sized king-single mattress, with a 5cm wall thickness, except for one of the internal sides which could be 20cm thick and have a few moulded depressions to simulate a table and shelves on the far end half, and shelves only on the front end half, or have something similar mounted on top. Units will be against the wall, and therefore there will be no need to have the back narrow-end covered, thus, essentially, each unit being a hollow squared tube with a rounded and narrowed entrance at the front narrow-end.

4. Would you prefer bigger units for more people to share or singular units for privacy similar to the japanese capsule hotels?

We would consider as many alternative creative options to suit our space constraints. It would be great, for example, having a percentage of the modules being 1.5x larger in width and hight, or just twice as wide, for couples (although with a 1-unit sized entrance). Unit weight should not be a problem since all modules will be held at ground level.

We have the ability to design the buildings according, among other things, to the size and specs of the bedding units, so we have enough flexibility for considering alternatives. The buildings will be experimental, however, and since there would be a higher than normal risk of collapse we would appreciate the units sporting metal reinforcements for peace of mind.

We're currently looking at hosting 2000 people per building, each of which will likely be a large Earthship (www.earthship.com), but as yet we haven't fully costed them so we might be able to build twice as many smaller buildings. Whilst we can't extend the depth of the building much more that 30m or maybe up to 40m due to design issues that would significantly increase the cost and complexity, we do have the flexibility to extend the building sideways as long as we need to accommodate for the necessary number of rooms. We are currently considering 10-14 rooms per building, each being 25-30m long and 8m wide, accommodating three stacked rows with the hollow end against each side walls, leaving a corridor 3m wide per room. The walls will be very thick, so sound-proofing between rooms will not be an issue.

5. I presume at the very least each unit requires power and/or lighting? Do the units need to be lockable?

They do not need to be lockable, they'd only require a curtain, either simply cloth (that we could source ourselves, although the design would have to permit its fitting) or roll-down if budget permits. The curtain will be mostly for privacy and marginal-proofing, and there will be no need to protect belongings since there will not be any valuables held in them.

If the difference in cost for having the lighting installed as part of the module, or us mounting it ourselves on the wall or inside the unit is not significant, we would of course prefer it in the unit. We are considering useing low-powered LEDs everywhere, and will probably not require high-voltage, just 12V lighting and USB 1A sockets only. For lighting we're considering something like this: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/904347767/shower_panel_with_led_lights_12w.html, which has currently a cost of ~$30 each, and may even drop by the time we purchase, as the technology is improving fast and becoming more competitive.

The inside should also hold a mattress, which can possibly be made to fit, and would be a very important part of the overall unit. Australian king single mattress (1.06m x 2.03m) seems like a good size, but if we can have mattresses of othere or even non-standard sizes we could accommodate for a narrower one to allow for greater depth for the table. Also the material of the mattress will be something to balance with the overall quality and features of the unit, since after all the purpose of these units is sleeping, and a good mattress would be justified, so perhaps a memory foam mattress would be reasonable despite the increased cost. Underneath the mattress there should be a slightly springy (or at least capable of keeping air flow) rack underneath, which could maybe be part of the structure itself.

6. Most importantly what is your budget per person?

We are considering a budget of $750 per unit, including lighting, power, mattress, ventilation, curtain, and ladders, and ideally the transport too (we don't have a location defined at this stage, though). We will surely be capable of assembling the units ourselves, considering we will build most of the infrastructure of the town ourselves. We will benefit, however, from training for a leading assembling team to train others, which could possibly even be done remotely via Skype.

An issue about budget and the design, which I don't know how common this may be as I'm inexperienced in international commerce, is that the funding will become available only once we have a finished product, and we don't have a funding for R&D. In terms of design we can produce virtual models using drawings and 3D graphics, however these must be properly costed and an agreement reached with manufacturers for their production. We will most likely not be able to afford demos or trials, and will likely have to trust manufacturers to produce and provide us with end products based on specifications only; this situation applies across the board for all of the other infrastructure we will require for the community.

Once we have everything we need for setting up the community, including infrastructure designs, implementation plans, and agreements with vendors that are properly costed within our budget, we will access the funding required for proceeding with all the purchases, as agreed with all manufacturers and distributors, straight away and including transport and all. Since the community will be a model experimental one, we will allow a significant margin of error for everything. After two years, provided that the community seems functional and sustainable, we will develop more communities based on the model one, with any necessary improvements or fixes. Since each new community will require similar infrastructure and furniture, there is a good chance that we will continue being customers long term, for as long as there is demand for the kind of lifestyle we will implement.

The set-up and construction of the first model experimental community's infrastructure will take between 6 and 12 months, with people arriving gradually. Therefore we won't need everything at once, and will be able to accommodate for manufacturing and transport times in our implementation plan, provided we can estimate these beforehand. We're also likely to require many other things, such as outdoors furniture and custom fittings, for which we have separate budgets.

Hopefully we'll establish a relationship and do good business by the end of next year when we proceed with all the purchases.

Best regards,

xxx

Second response, received 17 May 2013

Hi,

Just to give you a quick update the design guys in Russia have all of the information you sent me and are trying to come up with a bespoke solution to fit your requirements/costings etc.

They think you have a wonderful project and would be delighted to find a solution so that we may work with you on this project. We have discussed many possibilities and even I am intrigued to see what the designers actually come back with in the next few weeks?

As soon as I have some feedback I will be in touch.

Best regards

Mark