To beat the expensive housing situation in Hong Kong, architect James Law has come up with what many may consider a pipe dream. The micro apartments that James Law has designed are constructed inside 2 sections of 8 foot diameter drainage pipes. The pipes are fitted with glass doors on both ends and have a living area with a bench. The bench converts into a bed and has a set of shelves on the facing curved wall.

One shelf fits a bar fridge and a microwave which is placed next to a gallery sink. The pipe apartment even boasts of air conditioning, not to mention a tiled bathroom at one end which has a combined shower and toilet. No bathtubs in this space, but it’s cheap to build at just $15,000 and is being rented out at $400 per month. This is quite cheap for Honk Kong and given the fact that it is a 100 square foot area.

The design makes it much more spacious than the ‘coffin’ and ‘cage’ homes which are constructed from subdividing older apartments. Another advantage of these OPODs is that they can be stacked into the gaps between existing building. This saves space on an already crowed island. Here’s one science experiment which may just succeed in creating housing in areas such as under highway passed or even on the roofs of already existing buildings.