BOXABL targets wider housing market with standardised modular system

For much of its history, Las Vegas-based modular housing company BOXABL has been associated with a single product: the Casita. Founded in 2017, the company became one of the most closely watched names in industrialised construction through its foldable housing technology, ambitious manufacturing targets and extensive crowdfunding campaigns. It is now attempting to extend that approach across a much wider section of the housing market through a new modular building platform. (main image: Render from BOXABL’s Phase 2 housing platform, illustrating how the company’s standardised modular building system can be applied to larger detached housing formats beyond its original Casita dwelling.)

The company’s newly released Phase 2 beta catalogue and online configurator uses three standardised module sizes to create more than 20 housing configurations. The system is intended to support a range of residential applications, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs), detached homes, townhouses, workforce accommodation, manufactured housing and apartment buildings of up to three storeys.

While BOXABL generated substantial interest around the potential of factory-built housing, progress towards large-scale production has been slower than many early supporters anticipated. The company has also attracted scrutiny over whether its manufacturing output can match the scale implied by its growth ambitions and investor expectations.

The announcement marks a departure from BOXABL’s original focus on the 361 sq ft (33.5 m²) Casita, a factory-built studio dwelling designed to fold for transport and be rapidly deployed on site. The company has since added the 120 sq ft (11.1 m²) Baby Box, built to RV code, but the new platform significantly broadens the range of housing types it is seeking to address.

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Expanding beyond the Casita

According to BOXABL, several years of research and development have been directed towards creating a system capable of generating multiple housing outcomes from a limited number of standardised building components.

The catalogue currently includes concepts for detached homes, build-to-rent townhouses, garden apartment developments, workforce accommodation, manufactured housing, larger estate homes and single-level ranch homes.

BOXABL founder and chief executive officer Paolo Tiramani said the company’s first phase focused on proving a different approach to housing production.

“Phase 1 was about proving that housing could be manufactured differently. The Casita demonstrated the viability of our technology and manufacturing approach. Phase 2 is about expanding that platform to address a much larger portion of the housing market.”

The company says all housing types are based on steel construction and include factory-installed finishes, appliances, large windows, tall doors and 10-foot (3.05 m) ceilings.

BOXABL’s Phase 2 housing platform is designed to support a range of residential formats using standardised modular building components.

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A platform approach to modular manufacturing
What distinguishes the announcement is not the housing designs themselves but the underlying manufacturing proposition. Rather than developing separate systems for different housing categories, BOXABL is seeking to use the same core building modules across detached housing, townhouses, workforce accommodation and low-rise apartments. The approach is intended to increase manufacturing repeatability while broadening the markets the company can serve.

BOXABL’s Phase 2 approach seeks to use a small number of repeatable building modules across multiple housing categories. The company argues that the same manufacturing system can be applied to a broad range of residential products without requiring separate production processes for each building type.

The beta catalogue remains under development, with additional floor plans and configurations expected to be added over time. BOXABL has also noted that commercial availability of Phase 2 products remains subject to regulatory approvals, manufacturing readiness and other conditions.

The announcement comes as the company progresses a proposed Nasdaq listing through a merger with FG Merger II Corp. If completed, the transaction would provide additional capital to support manufacturing expansion and product development.

The release of the Phase 2 catalogue provides the clearest indication yet that BOXABL is seeking to apply its manufacturing system beyond small standalone dwellings and into a broader range of residential building types.

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