Fast Company honors Blokable in the 2021 Innovation By Design Awards
Blokable at Phoenix Rising was honored in the 2021 Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards in the Real Estate category. The 10th anniversary of the awards, which can be found in the October 2021 issue of Fast Company, recognize people, teams, and companies that transform businesses, organizations, and society through design. One of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, Innovation by Design is the only competition to honor creative work at the intersection of design, business, and innovation, recognizing the people, companies, and trends that have steadily advanced design to the forefront of the business conversation.
Blokable at Phoenix Rising is the world’s first Vertically Integrated Modular housing development, delivering high-quality and energy efficient rental housing in the Seattle metropolitan area. The project cost the State of Washington $125,000, less than half the regional average in a part of the country that faces a severe shortage of affordable housing.
“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. Blokable at Phoenix Rising is the culmination of four years of work streamlining our process and our cost structure so that we can create as much equity as possible in communities. In addition to developing turnkey affordable housing for a fee, our next step is to develop and own real estate using the next generation of our building system.”
“Design is not just a beauty contest,” said Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “It’s something that can change the world and create solutions in a time when we face pressing global issues such as systemic racism, climate change, and a global pandemic. Many of these entries showcase these challenges while providing hope for the future through their steadfast commitment to elevate design.”
The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.
Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online and in the October issue of Fast Company magazine. See the complete list here.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor – in – chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc. , and can be found online at fastcompany.com
About Blokable
Founded by real estate and technology industry veterans, Blokable is a self-performing developer that expands prosperity and equity in communities by building high-quality, low-cost, connected housing at scale. Blokable offers the world’s first vertically integrated development platform — from design, planning, financing, and permitting, to almost-complete manufacturing, delivery, on-site construction, and ongoing operational support. For landowners and investors, nonprofit housing service providers, and municipalities, Blokable offers a turnkey alternative to the costly and inefficient traditional development process. By turning development into a transparent, precise, and easily managed service, Blokable disrupts housing creation models that maximize industry profits at the expense of communities. Blokable’s one-stop solution de-risks and accelerates the creation of affordable and energy efficient housing where it is needed most, while giving its partners certainty on cost, product, and quality from day one.
