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A bright and spacious flat within a stone's throw of central London might be a pipe dream for many London renters, but it may soon become a reality for the city’s growing homeless population - thanks to an ingenious new invention from an architect from Dagenham.

Twenty-six-year-old James Furzer has designed a series of off-the-ground sleeping pods, intended to create a safe refuge for rough sleepers - of which there are more than 750 on any given night in London alone.

The project, titled 'Homes for the Homeless', recently won the top prize in the Space for new Visions competition organised by Farko, and has been praised for its imaginative design.

The static pods - which come complete with a mattress, storage space and a makeshift living area - are built to be attached at above head height to the side of an existing building, and provide daytime refuge from bad weather and other dangers of life on the streets.

James Furzer and his design - in pictures 6 show all James Furzer and his design - in pictures 1/6 Man with a vision Architect James Furzer (Picture: James Furzer/REX) 2/6 Space saving The pods would hang of the side of existing central London buildings (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) Picture: James Furzer/Rex 3/6 Closer look A 3D blueprint for Furzer's design 4/6 A safe spot An architect has designed plywood pods to house London's homeless (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) James Furzer/Rex 5/6 Inside the pods Users will have access to a sleeping area and shelf to store their possessions (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) 6/6 Award-winning James Furzer's design can be attached to any building with the help of two steel frames (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) James Furzer/Rex 1/6 Man with a vision Architect James Furzer (Picture: James Furzer/REX) 2/6 Space saving The pods would hang of the side of existing central London buildings (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) Picture: James Furzer/Rex 3/6 Closer look A 3D blueprint for Furzer's design 4/6 A safe spot An architect has designed plywood pods to house London's homeless (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) James Furzer/Rex 5/6 Inside the pods Users will have access to a sleeping area and shelf to store their possessions (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) 6/6 Award-winning James Furzer's design can be attached to any building with the help of two steel frames (Picture: James Furzer/Rex) James Furzer/Rex

The spacious structures are made from plywood, do not require running electricity and can be accessed by a ladder which would hang from the door of the light and airy sleeping spaces. The average person would be expected to stay for 4-8 hours, enough for an uninterrupted sleep.

Furzer, an architectural technician, has said that he knows his design will not eradicate the capital's homeless problem but believes it's a step in the right direction.

He came up with the idea after seeing the growing number of metal spikes which have been placed in popular sleeping spots to deter the homeless from setting themselves up there for the night.

The 'anti-homeless spikes' have been a point of contention in many London boroughs, and earlier this week, artists in East London took similar measures, installing a mattress over a set of the steel prongs in a central Shoreditch location.

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