Could the future of housing be foldable, stackable, factory-produced homes that come off the assembly line in just 90 minutes? The folks at Boxabl believe that it is. They’re opening a factory in Nevada to start mass producing tiny homes, and they have already set one up in Boca Chica, Texas that’s rumored to be inhabited by a certain self-proclaimed techno king, let’s get into it. At Boxabl we are trying to change the way houses are built, and move construction into the factory where it can be more affordable, more high quality, and more efficient. Boxabl isn’t alone in its mission to bring down construction costs. There are several startups out their trying to leverage new technologies to create new more efficient ways to build. Our initial innovation was to solve the shipping problem. Existing factory-built housing generally shipped a wide load that’s very expensive and cumbersome. We figured out how to ship a 28-foot room on an 8-foot, shippable footprint that is fully finished in the factory, Kitchen, bathroom, electric, everything and it just takes a few hours to set up on-site.
“incredible amount of configurations”
The added convenience in shipping is made possible by Boxable’s folding design. The actual set up of the unit itself is fast, you know, we done it here in under an hour. It really just folds and bolts down, and you are good to go. We’re starting out with the 20x20 size room module, but hopefully in the future we will move onto larger sized 20x30, 20x40, 20x60. Right now, our room modules can stack, we’ve done it a couple of times. You can really get just an incredible amount of configurations. Boxable also aims to streamline each units build time by moving construction into their new factory in Las Vegas. We are setting up a brand-new factory right now, hope to be moving in their in the next few weeks, and getting started on production. That factory should produce one house every 90 minutes, hopefully about 3600 per year, those are our estimates right now. We were very happy, actually to receive 2 orders to provide military base housing, so I really expect that different branches of the government, local, states, FEMA are all going to be very interested in this product, and we hope that they will be a very big customer of ours. We are planning to go out with the Casita at about $50, 000, so that’s a 20x20 foot room module, with a kitchen, bathroom, and everything else ready to go. And then, I think by the time next year rolls around I think that we will have a few different versions that we will go out with at different price points.
There is also some rumors going around that Elon Musk is inhabiting one of Boxabl’s Casits’s out in Boca Chico, Texas. The space mogul tweeted that his primary house is a $50, 000 tiny home in Boca Chica, rented from SpaceX, and Boxable reveled in one of their YouTube videos that they have a top-secret client in Boca Chica. All super organized including drawers, with rockets and spaceships. Unsurprisingly, Galiano could not offer a comment on these rumors. What do you think about these folding houses? Would you want to live in one? Let us know down in the comments.
Questions:
Part 1: Comprehension
Watch and summarize the video thinking of who, what, when, where & why.
Part 2: True or False Questions
a) True or false – True or false - Elon Musk is a shareholder in Boxabl. T/F
b) True or False – It takes 90 minutes to set a house up on site. T/F
c) True or False – Boxabl already has orders from the military for on-base housing. T/F
d) True or False – Boxabl offers a variety of configurations. T/F
Part 3: Guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary
a) "Let's get into it" (0:23 min)
b) "Cumbersome" (0:57 min)
c) "Streamline" (1:44 min)
d) "Inhabiting" (2:43 min)
Part 4: Dictation
a) Fill in the blanks (0:01 - 0:10 minutes) Could __________________________________________________90 minutes?
b) Fill in the blanks (0:50 - 0:57 minutes) Existing _______________________________________________ and cumbersome.
c) Fill in the blanks (2:34- 2:41 minutes) I think __________________________________________________ price points.
Part 5: Talking Points
Part 6: Role play Scenarios
Scenario 1: Real Estate Agent
You are a real estate agent who is trying to sell a Boxabl folding house to a couple who are looking to downsize. They are skeptical about the idea of living in a folding house, so you need to convince them of the benefits.
Scenario 2: Homeowner:
You are a homeowner who is interested in purchasing a Boxabl folding house. You have several questions about the durability, safety, and maintenance of the house, and you want to speak to a representative from Boxabl to learn more.
Scenario 3: Government Official
You are a government official who is interested in purchasing Boxabl folding houses to use as affordable housing for low-income families. You want to speak to a representative from Boxabl to learn more about the manufacturing process and the cost of the houses, and to discuss potential partnerships.
Part 7: Writing Activity
Describe your neighborhood in as much detail as possible?
Part 8: Critical Thinking - Tiny homes in your country
The government has proposed launching their own version of the Boxabl tiny homes that you seen in the video. They would sell them to the public in a variety of different markets.
In groups discuss this proposal, then come together as a class and reach a consensus on whether this is a good idea or not.
Think about: Housing trends / costs / convenience / locations / target market / regulations / other
Answers: Part 1: Comprehension
This video was created by CNET and they are reporting on the latest trend of cheap foldable houses. They specifically discuss how a company called Boxabl has created a $50K tiny modular house. CNET report that Boxabl has recently opened a factory in Nevada and is producing tiny homes in under 90 minutes. The listening discusses how the latest technology is bringing down the cost of building homes and creating a more efficient way of producing them. The Boxabl CEO discusses the biggest issue with transporting houses and now they have come up with a way that makes it easier to transport them. The video also links Boxabl to a possible famous customer, Elon Musk, and proposes that he lives in a foldable home rented from SpaceX.
Part 2: True or False
A: False B: False C: True D: True
Part 3: Guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary or phrases
a) "Let's get into it" Answer: I think this is an informal way of expressing readiness to begin or engage in a task or activity. In the listening the speaker ends the introduction and starts to discuss the main idea of the video, so he means let’s get ready to looking at the main point of the video.
b) "Cumbersome" Answer: I think this means something is awkward, heavy, or difficult to handle or manage. In the video, the speaker talks about how wide the houses used to be, meaning that they were difficult to transport.
c) "Streamline" Answer: Streamline means to change/organize something so that it works better. The speaker states that they are trying to make the process of building a house more streamlined by moving construction to the factory. This will make the process more convenient and easier to build.
d) "Inhabiting" Answer: Inhabit means to live in or occupy. In the listening, the speaker talks about a famous person owning and living in a foldable home.
Part 4: Dictation
a)- Fill in the blanks (0:01 - 0:10 minutes) Could the future of housing be foldable, stackable, factory-produced homes that come off the assembly line in just 90 minutes?
b) Fill in the blanks (0:50 - 0:57 minutes) Existing factory-built housing generally shipped a wide load that’s very expensive and cumbersome.
c) Fill in the blanks (2:34- 2:41 minutes) I think by the time next year rolls around I think that we will have a few different versions that we will go out with at different price points.
Part 7: Writing (example)
I live in Gangnam, a district in Seoul, South Korea, and it's an amazing place! Gangnam is famous for its modern, upscale lifestyle with tall skyscrapers like the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center and high-end shopping streets like Apgujeong and Garosu-gil where you can find trendy boutiques and stylish cafes. The district is a hub for the entertainment industry, especially K-pop, with the K-Star Road featuring statues of K-pop stars. Dining is a delight with a wide range of restaurants serving Korean and international cuisine. Gangnam is also vibrant at night with a bustling nightlife scene. It's well-connected by public transportation, making it easy to explore the area, and offers a mix of modernity and tradition, making it an exciting neighborhood to live in.
