FOCUS ON INNOVATION blueprint for city regeneration of neglected industrial sites , sustainably creating jobs and fostering creativity with a modern communitycentred ethos , ripe for replication nationally and globally ,” BLOQS explained .
The sharing economy
“ BLOQS is leading the evolution in the maker economy , providing workspace , education and access to a huge range of highend professional machines and equipment for the makers of today and tomorrow . It effectively gives tech ‘ the human touch ’. As much a community space as a physical place , BLOQS reflects the ethos at the centre of maker culture where the intersection of open-access hardware and knowledge , sharing equity , abounds ,” it told ISMR .
With pay-as-you-go access , entrepreneurs can utilise this equipment as and when they need it , eliminating the burden of fixed and high overhead costs . This reflects the increasing trend of the sustainable ‘ sharing economy ’, which is expected to be worth around £ 140 billion by 2025 ( according to a PWC report ). It also reflects the growing public desire for bespoke items , or products manufactured with a lower carbon footprint . “ BLOQS provides the missing link for solopreneurs and SMEs seeking to bridge the gap between start-up and producing at scale ,” outlined Al Parra , Co-Founder , BLOQS . “ Our space empowers , fostering growth that remains rooted in the community .”
A sustainable impact
This growth , explained BLOQS , can be achieved sustainably both in the business ’ s financial commitments and its environmental impact .
“ Currently , most manufacturing processes involve long international supply chains and invisible production which are almost inevitably
Top and above : Welding operations at BLOQS .
The BLOQS site in Lea Valley , London , UK .
With pay-as-you-go access , entrepreneurs can utilise this equipment as and when they need it , eliminating the burden of fixed and high overhead costs
environmentally unsustainable . By making locally in a city , close to the makers ’ end users , BLOQS offers a positive alternative ,” highlighted Arnaud Nichols , fellow Co-Founder of BLOQS .
It ’ s not just being close to the end customer that is sustainable , but also the fact that more than 700 companies share one space .
“ It ’ s a matter of ratios . Our factory is 32,000 square feet . Hypothetically , if we vanished overnight and a very conservative estimate of only a third of our members were forced to afford an average workshop , their combined footprint would cover roughly 200,000 square feet . Each workshop necessitates its own embodied energy expenditure for machinery , infrastructure , real estate and a lifetime of energy use . That ’ s a vast expenditure . Sharing is now an ecological imperative ,” continued Arnaud Nichols .
Sustainability has also been designed into the BLOQS infrastructure itself . All energy from wood waste is recovered by a biomass boiler and used for space heating , central heating and the building ’ s various hot water needs . Recently installed solar panels on the roof provide 35 % of the site ’ s electricity . These features and the facility ’ s usability and slick design all contributed to its recent RIBA Award wins .
“ BLOQS is a social enterprise whose purpose is the creation of social and economic
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