The sustainable, low-cost homes provider, BoKlok UK, which is owned by Swedish construction firm Skanska and homewares giant Ikea, has appointed a modular housing manufacturer to produce its first timber frame homes in the UK.
According to PCB Today, BloKlok has appointed technology-driven modular housing specialist TopHat to manufacture its first British developments.
BoKlok was founded in the early 1990s and has since produced over 12,000 sustainable, low-cost properties throughout Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
The company produces all its homes using modern methods of construction (MMC) and timber frames, and all the homes feature Ikea fittings. A majority of the new homes will be for sale on the market, but a percentage of them will be sold to local authorities and housing associations as part of their social housing schemes.
BloKlok announced in October last year that it plans to construct 200 homes in Bristol in partnership with Bristol City Council as part of the Bristol Housing Festival, which aims to provide innovative offsite housing solutions.
The firm will be selling around 140 of the homes under their own brand, while the rest will be reserved for social rent and shared ownership.
Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “At the festival’s launch a year ago, we said we would invite ideas from all over the world and be imaginative in solving the city’s housing emergency. This is exactly what BoKlok will bring with these exciting plans.”
In February this year, the film exchanged contracts on three sites in Bristol, Peacehaven, and Worthing, which will be the sites of around 400 new homes, subject to planning permission, and they have agreed a five-year contract with TopHat to produce the two- and three-bedroom houses.
As with BloKlok’s previous developments, all the homes will be made from timber frames and feature natural light features, low energy consumption, and be fitted out by Ikea. The homes will all be certified by the Building Offsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS).
Derbyshire-based TopHat employs 150 engineers and designers, including offering apprenticeships for plumbers, electricians, and carpenters, as well as other trades. Using MMC, the firm can design and build a home in an average of 10 weeks, with on-site assembly taking two weeks.
TopHat recently won the Sunday Times Readers’ Choice Award at the British Homes Awards for its Family of Four range, a range of homes and apartments constructed from a set of four modules. Each home type can be configured with a range of roof forms, internal layouts, and facade designs to suit the location, surroundings, and personal preferences.
BloKlok stated that it chose TopHat due to the company’s commitment to sustainability and quality, and the precision MMC technology that uses sustainable materials in its high-tech factories.
Design work is now underway on BoKlok’s Bristol and Peacehaven developments. Subject to planning permission, home sales are expected during the second quarter of 2021.
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