A complete dwelling in a U-Box envelope · 95 × 56 × 83.5 inches · 箱
The Hako (Japanese: 箱, "box") is the studio's catalogue capstone. A complete dwelling spec'd to deploy inside a U-Haul U-Box envelope — the same 37 sq ft / 2,000 lb container U-Haul ships across North America for moving and storage. Sleeps one or two. Cooks. Stores a year of belongings. Works as a primary residence in the right climate or a year-round ADU. The Hako is BXBX's proof that a serious dwelling fits inside a commodity envelope.
The Hako interior is organized around a 34" central passage with four functional walls. Murphy bed deploys from one long wall; galley occupies the opposite long wall; KEEP wall (archive storage) anchors one short end; utility wall (power, water, ventilation) anchors the other. Every surface earns its place.
Murphy bed deploys from one long wall. Folded against the wall by day; full-size bed (54" × 75") at night. The bed's underside doubles as a desk surface when folded up.
Opposite long wall holds the full kitchen: BDRC cooker, single-burner induction, small sink, prep counter. Above-counter cabinetry holds dish storage, pantry, and Wowlive shelving for STOCK cells.
One short end is the customer's archive wall. Three Wowlive 3-tier shelves arrayed vertically. Holds the customer's full 1646 cell library — documents, photographs, the entire physical record of a life.
Opposite short end holds the power architecture, water system, ventilation, and weatherproof entry vestibule. The technical wall — everything mechanical lives here behind a removable panel for service access.
The Hako's power architecture inherits from the GROW01-OG-spec-v0.2 microsystem work. The Ryobi inverter ecosystem (800W Ryobi inverter or $40 third-party AC inverter compatible with Ryobi One+ 18V batteries) runs all dwelling loads off-grid in summer with solar supplementation. Winter operation assumes grid connection or generator backup for heating loads.
Parts cost (BOM) ranges $13.5K low to $19.6K high depending on finish choices. Finished customer price includes labor, studio margin, and delivery: ~$20–28K CAD.
| Category | Low | High | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-Box envelope (purchase) | $800 | $1,500 | One-time; or lease at $80–150/month |
| Interior framing & sheathing | $1,200 | $2,400 | 2×3 framing, plywood, fasteners |
| Insulation & vapor barrier | $800 | $1,400 | Rigid foam + radiant barrier |
| Interior finishes | $2,000 | $4,500 | Plywood walls / paint / floor / cabinetry |
| Murphy bed mechanism + bedding | $1,200 | $1,800 | Commodity Murphy hardware + studio frame |
| Galley (induction, sink, fridge) | $1,500 | $2,500 | Single-burner induction + mini-fridge |
| KEEP wall (Wowlive × 3 shelves) | $300 | $400 | Per KEEP standard product |
| Power architecture | $1,800 | $2,800 | Inverter, batteries, solar panels, wiring |
| Water system | $600 | $1,000 | Tanks, pump, plumbing |
| Ventilation & windows | $800 | $1,300 | Roof fan, operable window |
| Door & entry vestibule | $1,200 | $1,800 | Weatherproofed studio fab |
| Finishes & details | $800 | $2,000 | Lighting fixtures, hardware, paint |
| BOM total (parts) | $13,000 | $23,400 | Studio labor & margin not included |
Studio labor at ~80 build hours × $80/hr + 15% margin yields finished customer prices of ~$20–28K CAD depending on configuration.
4'×8' floor tape-out at Dupont Arts studio. Weekend live-in to verify the 34" central passage livability. Refine interior plan before committing to a real envelope.
First real Hako built for studio use at Dupont. ~6–8 weeks builder time. Documents the build for future customer Hakos. Live photography for catalogue.
Build-to-order Hakos for inaugural customers. ADU-focused initial market. Each Hako customized to its site and customer.
Standardized Hako variants. Builder partnerships for cities outside Toronto. The Hako becomes a real product rather than a bespoke build.
The Hako is the studio's catalogue capstone because it integrates every other practice:
A customer buying a Hako isn't buying a single product. They're buying into the studio's full operating system — and that integration is the difference between a Hako and the dozens of tiny-house competitors selling envelope-only products.