BoKlok is an established and successful partnership between Skanska and IKEA.
Our history
Skanska and IKEA unite to develop a new concept that would make more homes accessible to more people.
Ingvar Kamprad's role in founding BoKlok cannot be overemphasized.
His vision was to build new homes that were accessible for ‘ordinary people’ – giving everyone the same opportunity to live well. Ingvar Kamprad was born in 1926 in Småland, Sweden. At the age of 17 he founded IKEA. His driving force was his vision of creating a better everyday life for the many.
Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA's values have been, and will continue to be, crucial to BoKlok's success. At BoKlok, we continue to work in his spirit so that all people have the same opportunity to ‘live well’.
In 1993, marketing managers from both IKEA and Skanska met at a housing fair in Karlskrona in Sweden. They both agreed that there was a need to deliver housing that was more accessible for all – housing that key workers and those on lesser incomes could still afford to purchase.
From this starting point, Skanska and IKEA went on together to develop the BoKlok concept, which aims to deliver high quality homes at accessible prices.
Three women – one vision
Three women - Inger Olsson, a developer at Skanska, Madeleine Nobs, a home interior designer at IKEA, and architect Gun Ahlström took on the challenge of realising this vision and in 1997 the first BoKlok homes were ready for occupation.
As a starting point, the team looked first at the customer – the person who would ultimately live in one of these homes – what would they need their home to deliver, how would they live in it and what could they afford to pay. Their aim was to make the homes both appealing and accessible to ‘ordinary’ people, who wanted to own their own home.
To achieve this goal, the three women began to look at smart production methods and well-planned layouts that maximised the use of space and made the very best use of every square meter available.
BoKlok – now and in the future
Ingvar Kamprad's driving force was the vision of creating a better everyday life for the many people, and part of that vision came to life through BoKlok. Today, BoKlok has built over 15,000 homes and is present in Sweden and the UK.
