Countries with a fertile timber industry also have developed a productive component-based building culture. Sweden has an engrained and proficient prefab building culture going back to architect Frederik Blom's movable houses in the early 1840s. Sawmill mechanization and regulation of the lumber industry were central in enriching manufactured housing’s path. Siwers and Winneberg, a Swedish timber kit manufacturer, delivered prefab houses to the USA during the 1849 gold-rush, even showcasing them at universal exhibitions. The driving forces of industrialized construction in Sweden were first, sawmill mechanization and second, dimensional and process standardization of components, products and systems for the construction sector. Building codes, detailed pattern books and modular coordination underwrote high levels of normalization. The industry continued to mature in the latter half of the twentieth century thanks to government initiatives boosting factory production to one million dwellings between 1965 and 1975, largely articulated to timber frame construction. A large portion of Sweden's housing, 84% of detached single family dwellings, use prefabrication or integrated sub-assemblies such as panelized walls or floors finalized to varied degrees delivered onsite for assembly.
The industry’s development has made it a world leader in terms of prefab market share of new housing starts. Highly skilled workforce, quality timber harvesting and a robust industrial structure make for a perfect storm in terms of off-site construction’s future potential. The Swedish industry with examples like Lindbacks and Bloklok is seen as a model for other contexts looking to increase prefabrication's uptake. Lindbacks, particularly, is a highly successful and integrated company with a business model based on an intelligent combination of standardization and customization. Their posited 80-20 mix leverages a comprehensive design manual, with standardized organisations, explicit joinery, assembly specifications for engaging with external architects early in the planning process. The company also controls their own general contracting subsidiary that understands and complements the company's workflow from offsite to onsite and avoids costly errors due to general contractor ignorance. The Ikea model inspired Bloklok (also owned by Skanska) that has been producing modular homes since 1996; Bloklok modular homes propose to offer comprehensive quality from procurement to pleasant living articulated to the Ikea vision of standardized design with an affordable price.
Bloklok house factory and typical development
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