In our latest Spotlight interview, we spoke with Craig Strachan, co-founder of XERA Innovations. Craig details XERA's latest innovation, the X-IST platform, designed to streamline the custom building process, deliver personalized, high-quality homes at scale, and incorporate the latest technologies such as AI . “We saw a need to simplify what is often a complex and costly practice while allowing buyers to personalize their home in line with the climate crisis. We will streamline this journey and make sustainable, customized housing more efficient and accessible to everyone.”
Q1: What led you to develop the X-IST solution? 
The inspiration for X-IST came from XERA Innovations' mission to develop integrated technology solutions that increase homebuilding production and facilitate the delivery of customized zero-carbon homes at scale. With over 50 years of industry experience and over 200 completed projects, XERA has seen first-hand the challenges and inefficiencies in in-house and custom build processes. We saw a need to simplify what is often a complex and costly practice while allowing buyers to personalize their home in line with the climate crisis. The X-IST concept streamlines this effort and makes sustainable, customized housing more efficient and accessible to everyone.
Q2: Why do custom builds and what are the opportunities and challenges in delivering at scale?
There is a resurgence in the housing market of the desire to be individual and break with uniformity, with a growing population in the UK motivated by the idea of having more independence in the design and specification of new homes. You can see the dynamics.
The Government recognizes the social, economic and environmental benefits of custom homes and is calling on all local authorities to measure demand for these homes and make sufficient land available. A significant portion of this land is likely to be earmarked for future strategic, large-scale developments, in which traditional house builders and land promoters will already be involved.
However, self- and custom-built home development typically involves cost inefficiencies, time delays, and difficulties managing unique designs and individual homebuyers. None of that matches the current business model of mass home builders.
X-IST addresses these issues by providing a home configuration platform that streamlines the marketing, sales, and design process, allowing potential homebuyers to purchase a home while considering fixed costs and known carbon impacts. Configure and enable reservations. Home drawings and specifications are sent to the home builder at the time of booking, allowing for efficient production, reduced overhead and known costs.
Q3: How do you balance individual customization of homes while ensuring sustainability, consistency, and cost certainty?
We achieve this balance by providing preconfigured typologies and specifications with known time, cost, and carbon impacts, allowing prospective homebuyers to customize elements within these parameters. Masu. X-IST ensures that individual choices are aligned with zero carbon targets and budget certainty, ensuring that every decision supports both sustainability and financial predictability.
Q4: How does XERA plan to develop X-IST and bring the solution to market?
XERA is still in the development process of X-IST and is actively seeking investment and funding to bring the solution to market. We are also exploring partnerships with other home builders to provide the volume needed for large scale home deliveries.
The UK Government continues to push to increase housing supply, making our approach timely in addressing this demand. Our go-to-market strategy includes demonstrating its scalability in real-world projects and highlighting the platform's ability to efficiently deliver customized zero-carbon homes. We aim to demonstrate the impact and potential of X-IST in securing new collaborations.
Q5- What role do you think technologies such as AI and blockchain will play in future homebuilding and how is XERA positioning itself to take advantage of these?
Technologies including AI and blockchain have the potential to revolutionize homebuilding by increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing the personalization of homes. GenAI has the potential to evolve further. The construction industry has begun to focus on digital integration, sustainability, and data-driven processes as key drivers of future growth, but historically it has been slow to integrate new technologies.
For now, XERA is focused on building the right datasets, but over time these technologies could be introduced into X-IST to enhance decision-making, streamline workflows, and reduce costs. there is. As technology continues to evolve, we aim to ensure that X-IST stays ahead of industry trends and evolves to meet future demands for customized zero-carbon homes.
