Seattle, Washington, USA

 “Four years ago, we launched Blokable because we could see that the housing industry is really struggling to address the dire shortages of housing across the United States,” said Aaron Holm, Co-CEO of Blokable. 

“Technology innovation alone cannot change the fact that it simply costs too much to build either market rate or affordable housing. In this highly-fragmented industry, innovation is swallowed whole by the fragmented nature of the development process, forever driving up the cost to build. To rapidly create multi-family housing at prices that middle- and lower-income Americans can truly afford, Blokable has vertically integrated the development process—from design, planning, and permitting, to almost completely off-site assembly, delivery, and ongoing operational support.”

Blokable has unveiled a radical new project: “Blokable at Phoenix Rising,”—the world’s first Vertically Integrated Modular housing development, delivering high-quality and energy-efficient rental housing in western Washington State. 

The U.S. faces a shortage of 3.3 million homes, increasing by 300,000 each year that homebuilding lags (Freddie Mac, 2020). Meanwhile, housing itself is becoming a luxury good. 

Home prices are up 10.8% as first-time buyers face more barriers than ever (WSJ, 2021). The rental market is building more luxury units while middle-to-lower income families have fewer options (Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2020). 

Funded through a $1.5 million partnership between Blokable and the State of Washington, Blokable at Phoenix Rising is a state-of-the-art, all-electric housing community for renters earning 30% of the Area Median Income

At a cost to the State of $125,000 per door, the project cost less than half the average new apartment to build, in a region that faces a severe shortage of affordable housing. 

Developed on land owned by Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care, in Auburn, Washington, Blokable at Phoenix Rising is a community of five studios and seven 1-bedroom apartments, which are reserved for individuals earning 30% of the Area Median Income. 

The facility costs 60% less for heating and cooling, 30% less for overall utilities, and meets strict energy and environmental metrics that are becoming the standard for new construction in many states and municipalities—including all-electric systems and a highly energy-efficient building envelope.

The building has a state-of-the-art, steel structural system, with all-electric energy and a 50 to 100-year useful life. Interior features include antimicrobial surfaces, a sound-attenuated living space, dimmable cove lighting, independent ventilation for comfort, and energy recovery ventilation for efficiency and lower utility costs. 

The floor plans range from 280 square feet for a studio, to 340 square feet for a 1-bedroom.

Blokable has developed a prefabricated building system that is standardized and repeatable while offering endless site variation. 

The Blokable Building System produces modular structures called “Bloks” that are 95% assembled under a factory roof and delivered to a site by crane. 

They can be combined into the studio and 1-3 bedroom living environments, for buildings that are 1-5 stories tall from the ground up, or up to 8 stories with a podium. Because the Bloks are standardized, they are pre-approved for development in a wide range of environmental and seismic conditions in the U.S.

“Because we are vertically integrated, we have a different perspective on the value created by the buildings we develop and own,” continues Holm. 

“We believe affordability and energy efficiency go hand in hand, so part of expanding housing access is pushing the industry toward a performance basis for environmental regulations. We envision our building system as a platform for future energy innovations that could decarbonize the built environment and enhance climate resilience.”

“We believe dignified housing is a human right,” added Nelson del Rio, Co-CEO of Blokable. “A roof over your head is the foundation for human health and wellbeing, education, and economic opportunity. Put simply, if you have housing instability, everything else in your life is so much more complicated

Project: Blokable at Phoenix Rising
Designers: Blokable Inc.
Design Team: Nelson Del Rio, Aaron Holm, Timothy Miller, and Luke Olszewski
Manufacturer: Designers: Blokable Inc.