Yardpods

Interview with Malcolm Davies (CEO)

Yardpods profile and projects!

Could you tell us a bit about your company?

Marvin Mauer an Engineer (President) and Malcolm Davies an Architect (CEO) have worked together in technology and construction-related companies for over 20 years. We believe strongly in the need to bring the construction industry into the 20th century by the use of advanced design technology, prefabrication,and the use of sustainable materials and methods. Our goal is to produce a range of buildings that can be mass customized to suit the needs of people in different parts of the world and which can be prefabricated, shipped and easily-assembled without expert construction knowledge, we use the analogy “Ikea™ for buildings.” YardPods are our first series of buildings which are designed as “detached utility structures” for use as home offices.

What is your green vision for the world?

Although there has been increased sensitivity to leading a sustainable lifestyle over the past decade, the industrialized nations have not even begun to seriously address the problems we have created, we may already be past the tipping point for global warming. Our vision is to make a tangible difference in everything that we and our company does. 

What would you say are the biggest changes needed in your current field?

Education and appreciation of the problems and a coordinated strategy to change towards living within our means. Building construction is an incredibly wasteful process which can be vastly improved by the use of prefabrication of components where waste is reduced or eliminated. The technological revolution of the last few decades has passed by the construction industry which has made virtually no improvement in productivity this century.

What would the biggest challenge be in generating these changes and why?

The biggest challenge is in changing the behavior of designers, builders and owners by increasing awareness of sustainable design and construction so that we build not just for the lowest possible initial cost, but also for the lowest life cycle costs.

What project(s) are you currently working on?

We are delivering and installing YardPods in locations around the San Francisco Bay area. We are also hard at work on a new generation of YardPods, which can flat-pack and ship throughout the USA. These new designs have a unique locking system to enable non-professionals to quickly assemble the buildings at their site. We plan to launch this new range within a few months.

Could you mention a sustainable project that seems most promising for the coming years?

We are working with Healthy Building Technology Group in Napa, California to launch a revolutionary range of prefabricated homes, which we are calling “OHOMES.” These homes are highly sustainable, extremely energy-efficient, fast to build and will cost far less over their life cycle than conventional homes. We will build the first two OHOMES as Showcase units in Napa shortly.