While some workers are needed in an office or on-sites, others in more online-based professions are proving that working remotely and independently works just as well, if not better, than being in a physical office alongside other employees.
Of course, working from home is not without its own unique set of complications. Sitting at the dining table for hours on end can be uncomfortable, and trying to conduct work in the presence of other family members can be majorly distracting.
Which is why a Norwegian design company called Livit created the Studypod, a compact, prefab dwelling designed to sit outside and act as a professional home office among nature.
“With more and more people working from home, especially now with COVID-19, we think the Studypod can add a lot of value to people’s everyday lives by giving them breathing space without distractions, where they can focus and get close to nature,” Torstein Aa, designer at Livit, tells The Latch.
Described as a “detached home office”, the Studypod allows the user to truly focus while drawing inspiration from the surrounding nature as viewed from the floor-to-ceiling glass window that sits on one side of the build.
“Science shows that being surrounded by plants, trees and nature improves mental health, productivity and learning abilities. This is why Studypod is designed to be placed in your garden, in the forest or any inspiring environment. With one large window in the front, it’s like working outside while being sheltered,” Livit says of its design.
The office comes turnkey with a wooden desk, ready to help you kick into gear and work efficiently from home. Even better, the desk can be detached to allow for the transformation of the space into a second living space, yoga or art studio, kids’ playroom.
With internal dimensions of a little over 2m x 1.8m, you could even fit a king-size bed within the space for a unique guest bedroom or special weekend retreat.
At €11,900, the Studypod is certainly a little steeper than pushing on at your dining table, but if you’re looking at working from home indefinitely, it could be a cheaper investment over time than hotdesking at a shared office space.
The Studypod is the second of innovative and compact design solutions from the Norweigan company.
Earlier this year, Livit unveiled its first design, the Birdbox, a mirco-cabin designed to sleep two that can be placed anywhere in the world, and with a minimal impact to the environment in which it sits.