The London Olympics is less than 12 months away now and I am starting to get very excited for many different reasons. One reason is obviously the potential for me to actually play in the Olympics with the GB football team but I am equally as excited because of non-sporting reasons. You cannot doubt the positive legacy that the Olympics is going to leave on East London and London in general despite some of the typical negative naysayers who go on and on about how the tube system will be rubbish blah blah blah! I choose to focus on the positive Olympic inspired projects like the Ikea eco-homes project. More on the project after the jump.
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Ikea is obviously renowned for its Swedish meatballs and affordable flat pack furniture but now people will get a chance to live on an Ikea housing estate. How dope is that?! This sort of diversity into the property development arena definitely makes sense for Ikea since Ikea products are such an integral part of most of our homes anyway. The company are building their first housing development in Stratford beside the Olympic park where it plans to build eco-homes for eco-families.
The 1,200 home development will be built on the water around canals and will be designed to be a ‘mini Venice’ but even better with moorings, a water taxi service and a floating cocktail bar! It will feature a 130ft tall illuminated wooden tower and form the gateway to the Olympic stadium.
About 40% of the properties will be three bedroom mews homes with courtyards and a public square that will encourage neighbours to interact. In terms of the “eco-ness” and green character of the development, cars are planned to be parked underground, rubbish will be removed through underground suction tunnels and a water power plant will help to meet energy needs. A school, health surgery and nursery will be built to minimise travel.
House prices are not yet known, but by the sounds of this dream development based on a Venice theme, the properties will be very expensive as eco-homes typically are. After going to university in West London and living in the West for 5 years it is safe to say I am pretty loyal to the West-side but when I see developments like this one I hate to say that the West might be slowly loosing out to the East. As an avid London lover, I struggle to think of a city in the world that will be able to compete with the diversity of London’s as a whole after the Olympic legacy is in full swing. It is very exciting.
I better get saving the pennies so I can move onto the Ikea housing estate!
Ciao!
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