Chamber members went behind the scenes at MAKAR Ltd this week as part of our latest Inside Stories event, gaining a fascinating insight into the Highland business’s approach to housebuilding, sustainable construction and local manufacturing.
Set amongst the Torbreck woodland just outside Inverness, MAKAR welcomed members into its workshop to see first-hand how its homes are designed and manufactured. Chief Executive Neil Edgar and Scott Reid, Design & Business Development, led the visit, sharing the story behind the business and giving members an opportunity to explore the technology, materials and processes that sit behind its homes.
From Scottish timber to finished home
One of the most compelling aspects of the visit was seeing MAKAR’s end-to-end approach to housebuilding in action.
Scottish timber is sourced close to the workshop, with local businesses involved in preparing the raw material before it returns to MAKAR for precision manufacturing. From there, the company’s closed-panel construction system enables significant elements of the home to be manufactured in a controlled factory environment before being transported for assembly on site.
For members, seeing that process from start to finish offered a different perspective on what modern housebuilding can look like – bringing together local materials, specialist manufacturing expertise and offsite construction rather than relying solely on traditional building methods.
MAKAR currently offers two main house ranges – its Signature range, comprising seven house styles, and the Optima range, comprising four styles – with a growing portfolio of homes designed to provide flexibility for different needs and locations.
Designed for energy efficiency
The visit also highlighted the importance MAKAR places on the energy performance of its homes.
Its approach combines high levels of insulation, airtight construction and passive design principles to create homes that require significantly less energy for heating. The company’s three-bedroom Paradigm Prototype, for example, has a modelled heating requirement of just £6.05 per week, although actual costs will vary according to individual circumstances and site conditions.
For a region where fuel poverty and the cost of heating homes remain significant concerns, the potential impact of better-performing homes extends beyond construction. It also connects directly to the affordability and long-term running costs faced by households across the Highlands.
Housing, planning and the Highland economy
While the evening focused firmly on MAKAR’s business and its approach to construction, the wider Highland housing challenge provided an important backdrop.
MAKAR is looking to scale its operation and believes its model can play a role in delivering more sustainable, affordable homes across the Highlands and Islands. Its approach also demonstrates how housing delivery can create opportunities further along the supply chain, from Scottish timber and local preparation businesses through to manufacturing and construction.
For Colin Marr, CEO of Inverness Chamber, seeing the process first-hand reinforced both the potential of the business and the importance of creating the right conditions for innovative approaches to grow.
“What struck me most about visiting MAKAR was seeing the whole process in front of you – from the timber coming into the site, through the manufacturing process and into a finished home. The innovation is clearly there, but if we are serious about tackling the housing challenge in the Highlands, we also need the planning and funding systems to enable businesses like MAKAR to deliver at pace.”
Colin also welcomed recent developments at Scottish Government level, “It was encouraging to see housing and planning featuring in the Scottish Government’s new Programme for Government, and there is certainly a step forward in the direction of travel. But there is still a long way to go to create a planning system that works effectively for innovative businesses and helps unlock the homes and economic opportunities our communities need.”
MAKAR, alongside others across the housing sector, is calling for changes that would make it easier to deliver innovative, energy-efficient homes at scale, including greater use of deemed planning consent and adoption of Scotland’s Passivhaus equivalent standard.
Neil Edgar, CEO of MAKAR, said, “We were delighted to welcome Inverness Chamber members to MAKAR and give them an insight into how we design and manufacture our homes here in the Highlands.
It was a great opportunity to demonstrate the journey from Scottish timber and our local supply chain through to the factory and finished home, as well as how our construction approach creates highly energy-efficient, healthy homes. We were also able to demonstrate how our vapour-open construction helps manage moisture within the building fabric and prevent the conditions that can lead to damp and mould.
Scotland has ambitious objectives around reducing carbon emissions and improving the energy performance of our homes, and we believe the construction industry needs to step up and embrace that challenge. With the Scottish Passivhaus equivalent now being developed, MAKAR is well positioned to meet that direction of travel through our closed-panel system, high levels of insulation and airtight construction.
There is a significant housing challenge across the Highlands and Islands, and we believe innovative approaches such as ours can play an important role in helping deliver better homes at scale.
We also welcome people to come and see our approach for themselves, with weekly tours of our facility available to book through the MAKAR website.”
The business impact of the housing challenge
The evening also highlighted why housing is not simply a construction or planning issue – it is an economic issue for Highland businesses.
Julie Davidson, Recruitment Expert at Hays, said she was impressed by MAKAR’s approach, “I was impressed with their innovative approach to sustainable construction. The passion from their team was evident and their operation was impressive.”
Julie also shared the experience of Hays’ clients across the Highlands, where access to suitable housing can have a direct impact on recruitment and business growth.
“Our clients across the Highlands also continue to talk about the effects of the housing challenge on their recruitment plans, with businesses struggling to attract the people they need due to the challenges of securing suitable accommodation.” She added, “Any organisations committed to solving the ‘housing challenge’ in the Highlands will have my best wishes and support.”
The comments underline an important point for the wider business community: without sufficient housing, businesses can struggle to attract and retain the people they need to grow.
A valuable member experience
For members attending the event, the opportunity to see MAKAR’s operation first-hand provided a valuable insight into both the business itself and some of the wider issues facing the Highland economy.
Becca Murray, Clinic Administrator at Alert Health, described the visit as “fantastic and enlightening”, adding, “It was amazing to meet some like-minded people interested in the work they are doing to help solve the housing crisis and fuel poverty that so heavily affects our local area.”
Becca also highlighted the value of the event itself, saying, “Thank you to the MAKAR team, and to Inverness Chamber for the opportunity, and would highly recommend any future Inside Stories events to the other members. I’ll certainly look forward to the next one.”
That is exactly what our Inside Stories programme aims to deliver – an opportunity to step inside Highland businesses, understand what makes them tick, learn from their experience and connect with fellow members.
A huge thank you to Neil, Scott and the whole MAKAR team for opening their doors and sharing their story with Chamber members.
The visit was a great reminder of the innovation and expertise already within our business community – and of the opportunities that could be unlocked if the right conditions are in place to help businesses like MAKAR grow.
Feeling inspired and would like to come along to one of our next events…