BoKlok, a joint venture between IKEA and Swedish development company Skanska, has submitted plans to build 170 new affordable houses on land in the UK.
As reported by UK-based The Argus overnight, the development will be made of two, three and four-bedroom houses, will have access and parking, areas of open space, play space and ecology areas with associated vehicular and pedestrian access, attenuation ponds and landscaping and related works.
The location for the new estate is in Yapton, a West Sussex village, and according to The Argus, a public exhibition sharing more information about the scheme was already held in March of this year.
Earlier this month, Wood Central reported that BoKlok had delivered more than 14,000 affordable houses across Sweden, Finland, Norway, and since 2019 in the UK, and has global aspirations.
BoKlok specialises in building estates consisting of between 40 and 200 prefab homes – using a prefabricated “stick-like framing structure.”
In 2020, Bristol City Council’s planning committee approved BoKlok’s first UK housing development at Airport Road, Bristol – a 173-lot subdivision and another in Worthington.
Thirty per cent of the homes will be affordable
In January, approval was given for 140 homes on the ten hectares of open fields after Landlink Estates made an application.
According to a design statement provided as part of the development process, “All BoKlok homes are manufactured off-site in state-of-the-art production facilities using advanced timber frame construction technology. Off-site manufacture lowers the environmental impact, especially in using timber frames.”
“The carbon footprint is less than half that of comparable traditional build projects, which makes the product more sustainable and cost-effective.”
“The houses comprise three-dimensional modules which arrive on site fully fitted out both internally and externally, and are then craned into position, making for a very fast and efficient process on site.”
BloKlok uses Zero-Labour Robots to reduce costs and maximise efficiencies
Earlier this month, a delegation of Australians visited the BloKlok manufacturing facility in Växjö.
According to Andrew Dunn, CEO of the Timber Development Association in Australia, the facility uses zero-labour robots to assemble floor panels into place.
“It is clear where the world is going in manufacturing, and the tour saw a glimpse of it.” Mr Dunn said.
“Amazingly, not a single Allen key was to be seen.”
Less than 1% of the leftover materials end up in waste.
According to BoKlok’s Head of Sustainability, Jenny Adholm, 70% of timber used in the plant is sourced from Swedish forests – with all housing carrying full PEFC and FSC chain of custody certification.
The manufacturing facility claims to have a carbon footprint of less than half of other building projects, recycling “most of [the] leftover materials” and disposing of less than 1% of waste.
