It seems that the modern prefab movement has become a symbol of international goodwill. The Ikea Boklok development outside of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK was recently visited by the Swedish ambassador.
We wrote earlier about the project, but now Ikea completed their BokLok model flat last month in Gateshead, near Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. Tours of the flat are available for those who will be in the area.
Ikea has now put together an informative website that highlights their intentions with the planned Boklok developments across Europe. Additionally, there are several country-specific sites for Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the UK.
Secondly, the Guardian has thorough coverage of Ikea’s Boklok move into the UK,
Expansion into the UK is a big step for BoKlok, but a logical one. It was conceived in 1996 in response to similar housing conditions to those of present-day UK: demand outstripping supply, rising prices, not enough homes being built at the affordable end of the market. Initially, the BoKlok team turned not to architects but to researchers. They tracked trends in the dwindling size of the average Swedish household, and identified the model BoKlok homeowner: a female single parent with one child, no car and an average income. They then studied how much she could afford in rent, and set their budgets accordingly. Surveys conducted at Ikea stores across Sweden revealed their potential customers’ housing priorities: the desire to live in secure, small-scale surroundings; proximity to the countryside; contact with neighbours; and homes that were light, well-planned, functional and furnished with natural materials.
Last year, Ikea built forty of their Boklok homes in Glasgow. Today, a £200 deal has been announced to build 1,200 of the homes in Glasgow over the next five years.
A £200Million housing project using Ikea flatpack homes is to be launched in Glasgow today.
The scheme will see 1200 family houses built over the next five years in Drumchapel.
As exclusively revealed by the Evening Times last year, around 40 of the properties will be Ikea flatpacks, the first time the Swedish company’s prefabricated homes will have been used in Scotland.
Smart-living “Boklok” homes are a big hit in Scandinavia with their open-plan designs, high ceilings and large windows.Today all the partners involved in the project were signing off the contracts in a ceremony at Glasgow City Chambers.
Summerhill councillor Paul Carey said: “Today we are giving the green light to the largest single regeneration scheme in Scotland.”
Read [Scottish EveningTimes]
