Annual Report 1999 - Skanska

Bo KlokA joint venture betweenSkanska and IKEABo Klok (Sensible Housing) is a concept jointly developedby Skanska and IKEA, the Swedish-based internationalhome furnishings group. We wanted to dosomething adapted to small households, those consistingof one to three people. It is a target groupthat usually cannot afford to pay very much for theirhousing and that no one else was building for.Through careful market surveys, we found outwhat kind of housing this target group wanted andhow much it could pay. The result was Bo Klok,where the vision is to create better housing at lowcost for many people.In Bo Klok, we focus on the wishes of clients interms of small-scale complexes, contact with theground, light, space and a secure environment. Unliketraditional construction, Bo Klok apartment housesare a uniform standard product.By combining Skanska’s expertise in building andmanaging homes and IKEA’s product concepts andhome furnishings know-how, we have managed tosatisfy the wishes of our target group at a reasonableprice level.Bo Klok was made possible because two companieswith complementary skills together achievedsomething that neither could have managed by itself.● 26 Skanska Annual Report 1999• Bo Klok homes have oak parquetflooring in all rooms, 20 cm (8 in)higher ceilings than standardhomes, birch wood kitchens andtiled bathrooms.• A Bo Klok apartment costs aboutSEK 3,000 per month and up.• Bo Klok homes are sold via IKEAhome furnishings stores.• The concept includes home furnishingsassistance and a giftcertificate for SEK 3,000 worth offurniture purchases at IKEA.• A Bo Klok development consistsof at least 18 and at most 36apartments.• It takes about five weeks to erecta Bo Klok building.• To date, about 300 Bo Klok apartmentshave been built in sevenlocalities in Sweden.• Over the next three years, volumeis expected to be around1,000 apartments per year.• Surveys of residents show thatpeople who live in Bo Klok apartmentsare very satisfied.• There is heavy interest fromother countries, and the firstround of market surveys outsideSweden will take place in GreatBritain, Norway and Poland.