Inventor Aidan Quinn has set up his egg shaped Eco-Pod in a farmer’s field in Stretford, Manchester, and has been living in it for the last couple of months on an entirely self-sufficient basis.

The pod has water heating from solar panels on the roof, a wind turbine to generate all electricity needs, and a wood burning stove for dark or windless conditions. These are connected to an underfloor heating system for extra comfort. The pod also collects water, which is recycled, and is insulated with tiles made from reused tyres.

Speaking about the Eco-Pod, Quinn said “I have always wanted to build a house and it seemed to me that there had to be a way of doing it more efficiently to not only cut down CO2 pollution during construction but also running costs.

“Our homes are responsible for creating 27% of carbon dioxide emissions and that clearly is not sustainable. I wanted to find a better way to live.”

Although the architect also plans to design a traditional house-shaped version of the building, Quinn said he chose the peculiar egg shape because “It feels more human.”

“It is designed for one or two people to live in and I love living here. You feel very close to things and the shape makes it a very comfortable space. It could be used for long-term accommodation. I would happily carry on living here but then I’m biased, and it is probably more suited for short-term or holiday stays.”

Quinn added that he hoped to be able to further develop the viability of the pod with the assistance of an inventor. “Ideally I would like a big investor to come along and we could manufacture the Eco-Pod much more quickly and efficiently,” he said.

“I have never enjoyed anything as much as this. It is frustrating that it is taking so long but I cannot wait to get up in the morning to crack on with it again.” (cracking, get it, cracking, like an egg, yeah? Ed.)

Click here for Eco-Pod website