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Housing

Affordable Housing Solution Emerges in Scotland

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A cutting-edge solution to the nationwide housing crisis is on the horizon, as MAKAR, an Inverness-based homebuilder, unveils an innovative affordable home prototype. The swift-to-assemble, net-zero ecological building uses locally sourced materials and smart design to provide a healthy, environmentally friendly living space. This model, costing approximately £5 a week to run, has the potential to bridge the gap in Scotland's social housing needs.

Key Takeaways:

  • MAKAR's affordable rapid-assembly home prototype is being manufactured using Scottish timber and local suppliers, with estimated running costs of about £5 a week.
  • The company is aiming to provide a solution to the housing crisis in Scotland, where the Scottish Government faces the challenge of building 15,000 social houses a year.
  • The prototype home is a two-bedroom, 93 square metre dwelling with a ground floor featuring accessible facilities, open-plan living areas, and storage, and an upper floor providing two bedrooms, a bathroom, and integrated storage.
  • The home is made from naturally durable heartwood-only larch for the cladding and Sitka Spruce for the carcassing, with natural insulation including a recycled newspaper product.
  • MAKAR's design challenges conventional design and construction approaches by avoiding high-concentration chemicals and imported or high-carbon building materials.

Statistics:

  • The estimated running costs of the MAKAR prototype home are £5 per week.
  • The average price for the homes is £128,000 each, with the option to purchase in groups of 12 manufactured, delivered, and assembled to wind and watertight stage.
  • The company is planning to assemble the prototype on-site in Inverness next month, using 25 key suppliers.

Sources:

  • "Inverness-based sustainable construction company receives national recognition" by the Inverness Courier, https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/inverness-based-sustainable-construction-company-receives-na-416459/
  • "Housebuilder Makar is double winner at awards event" by the Inverness Courier, https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/city-housebuilder-is-double-winner-at-awards-event-197624/
  • MAKAR website, https://www.makar.co.uk/
  • Shelter, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and the Chartered Institute of Housing report on the challenge of building 15,000 social houses a year.

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