A red wooden Box Library with three large blue dots is stacked on unfinished wooden boxes with circular holes, capturing a striking scene against a clear blue sky.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Large wooden blocks, part of the Capturing Box Library, some with coloured circles and others with cut-out holes, are arranged upright and stacked in an outdoor space against a tall grey wall under a clear blue sky.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Several unfinished wooden boxes with round cut-outs are stacked outdoors in sunlight, resembling a Box Library. A building with a BLOQS sign is visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Three people unload colourful wooden panels with circular cut-outs for the Box Library from a white van outside, surrounded by large crate-like structures. One person sits in the van while two carry panels together, capturing a moment of teamwork.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Colourful wooden panels with large painted dots in various colours are arranged on wooden shelves, capturing a vibrant, geometric pattern that covers two walls in this well-lit box library.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

A woman in a green jacket and jeans reaches up to touch a tall, colourful wooden structure made of domino-like pieces, capturing a playful moment on the pavement outside what appears to be a Box Library under the blue sky.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

A person in a yellow jacket and red hat stands beside a box library, its wall adorned with colourful rectangular blocks with dots in rows and columns. The outdoor photoshoot takes place on a sunny day, capturing a vibrant moment for 2026.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Colourful wooden furniture and panels with painted circles are arranged outdoors on asphalt, capturing the charm of a box library among potted plants, books, and a grey fence in the background under a blue sky.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Four people in winter clothing stand outdoors beside large, colourful wooden blocks stacked to resemble dominoes, capturing a playful scene. A tall red crane stretches into the blue sky, near what appears to be a community Box Library.

U-Build Box Library, January 2026. Photo credit Peter O’Leary.

Capturing the Box Library on Camera

The Setting

To mark the formal launch of our Box Library, we organised a photoshoot in January 2026. The industrial landscape of BLOQS, the co-working space and workshop where we CNC-cut plywood for our projects, hosts and displays our open-access collection and backdropped the event. Situated in northeast London and set on the River Lea, the mise-en-scène of the live car park setting was enhanced by cranes, construction workers and marshland.

Considering the remarkably dreary, grey start to the year, we were blessed when the sun made a surprise appearance. The miraculous blue skies provided the ideal backdrop to compliment our supply of cut-out columns and variety of raw-finished and colourful boxes. Originally painted with giant contrast dots to support last year’s House of the People event, we assembled and creatively reconfigured the rainbow pieces into numerous combinations throughout the day. 

The Vision

Photographer Peter O’Leary led the creative direction and orchestrated two stages of the shoot: first a more stylistic, abstract portrayal of the boxes, where we played with perspective and ratio, and then we captured the box library in action. On site to facilitate, manoeuvre the boxes and have a go at modelling were U-Build team members: Nick, our Director, Morgan and Bailey who manage the workshop, and Livvy, our Studio Manager. 

We wanted to champion our Box Library initiative, which has existed informally for years, through a professional and artistic lens. The endless configurations of the boxes highlights the adaptability for you, as a potential user, to bolster your unique vision.

As a service, we offer different communities the opportunity to borrow and build wooden boxes free-of-charge for temporary project ventures. As a concept, we are striving to fight waste, collectively lower the carbon footprint and provide a circular solution to an inherently lavish and excessive construction industry. 

How to Get Involved

If you have a project in mind and would like to take advantage of our borrow-a-box initiative, please get in touch by emailing info@u-build.org. Once requested and reserved, you can collect the boxes yourselves or arrange a courier to send them flat-packed to your project location. If you’d like advice on how to realise your desired outcome, we can help. 

Visual representation helps us spread the word about our scheme. In exchange for our box service, we ask simply for your feedback, footage and an optional pay-as-you-feel donation, so we can keep the initiative thriving for as long as possible.