Our blog explores how natural materials, toxin-free building, and off-site manufacturing create beautiful healthy homes. Our timber-rich approach can help tackle the affordable housing crisis and redefine modern living with net-zero, high-performance homes.
First Minister visits MAKAR's Inverness workshop to see Scotland's housing answer built from homegrown timber
We were delighted to invite First Minister, John Swinney, to tour our affordable home prototype to discuss the challenges faced by innovative housebuilders in Scotland. He saw first-hand what it looks like to build a net zero home that is affordable to both build and heat, and to a standard people are proud to live in.
We rapidly assembled this futureproof affordable home in just one week!
What if we could rapidly assemble healthy and affordable homes that people actually want to live in, with no risk of damp or mould? It's time Scotland built better homes that provide warmth, protect health and offer true affordability. Using Scottish timber and natural materials, we assembled this prototype home to pre-fit out stage in just 7 days... Here's a brief intro into how (and why) we did it!
The Solution to Scotland’s housing crisis is in homegrown homes
MAKAR’s home-grown home is being manufactured to demonstrate a transformative approach to social homebuilding across the UK.
As the Scottish Government faces the challenge of building 15,000 social houses a year, MAKAR has begun the manufacture of a toxin-free prototype next home next to their workshop that will prove social housing can ditch imports and health hazards for c.£5 weekly heating bills.
MAKAR's precision manufacturing approach
How we are building homes of the future with speed, quality and affordability.
We firmly believe that traditional construction methods cannot deliver the speed, affordability, and environmental performance needed to tackle Scotland’s current housing emergency. So, we have taken a different approach: applying advanced manufacturing principles to timber-rich home building. The result is a process that creates homes in weeks rather than months, using local Scottish materials in ways that benefit the environment and ensure ultra-low running costs for occupants.
We’ve gone paperless! Partnering with hsbcad to transform our operations
For over two decades, we've pioneered timber-rich construction in Scotland, constantly evolving our methods to deliver healthier, more sustainable homes and buildings. Just as we recognised early on that timber-based systems are the future of net zero construction, we have embraced digital innovation to now go completely paperless at our workshop, enhancing every aspect of our operations.
Aligning modern affordable homes to NPF4
The future of Scotland’s built environment is undergoing a radical transformation. The adoption of the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) represents a shift toward sustainable, liveable, and productive places. This goal cannot be realised through a business-as-usual approach; instead, it demands a rethink of how we design, build, and inhabit our homes.
Redefining affordable terrace houses for modern-day Scotland
From the Georgian terraces of Edinburgh to today’s modern rural developments, the efficient and adaptable terrace housing model continues to prove its value as a fundamental component of our urban and rural landscapes.
Post oil-age homes—Scotland's Natural Carbon Pump—Part 2
Timber-rich homes provide a catalyst for housing regeneration in Scotland. We need more homes—if they are built from local timber and timber products, they can also help us tackle the climate crisis.
Post oil-age homes—from toxic housing to healthy homes—Part 1
The housing crisis goes deeper than just a severe shortage of homes. It is rooted in the toxic materials we are building homes from. How we dwell defines us.
Future Homes in the Highlands and Islands
It is generally recognised across Scotland, that the Highlands and Islands have led the evolution in quality standards in rural housing over the past two decades.