Hasta La Ideas

Forget waterfront offices, what about an office literally on the water? Think of Enclaves as office meets lazy river (productivity levels not included with the structure). Remote work and flexible lifestyle have seen a boom thanks to the pandemic which has led to a lot of innovative designs like this floating office pod which is a low-impact concept offering the best of views with maximum privacy for focus.

In the future, you will find Enclaves floating on the Vistula River with the Wawel Castle as the backdrop. Designer Agnieszka Białek who made this zen office pod is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland which explains the picturesque theme. Białek was inspired by her usual pandemic strolls (which were the highlight of all our lives) along the Vistula River and thought of how cool it would be to have floating co-working spaces that would have no footprint on the land. You will have to use a kayak to get to the pod which means effectively eliminating any disturbance people. The pods will be designed to be active day or night and can be rented by the hour to host meetings, change the scenery or just get into a deep focus zone!

The architectural structure has soft, curved edges and a contemporary look which is a contrast to the natural setting but still complements it. Since the pods are floating on the river, it reduces utility requirements to almost zero and there is no soil degradation. Enclaves look like bubbles on the river – the natural foam creates floating, geometric shapes that grew into a larger version for the project. Like lily pads, the pods are anchored to the river bed and also attached to each other like a network which makes it modular in nature. The pods can be 3D-printed within a few days using waterproof and recycled/recyclable materials to further reduce their environmental impact. It comes with built-in furnishings that create versatile spaces to suit everyone’s work personality and needs.

“It is still difficult to define the changes that [COVID-19] will make in architecture in the long run. We know for sure that we are facing a new reality. Remote work has become the norm for most companies and will continue for a long time to come. Consequently, employees will be able to choose the time and form of work. To a large extent, we will notice fatigue with the home space. We will gladly move the work zone from home to another place. The concept makes working remotely possible, becomes a comfortable place for online meetings, or relaxing in the new reality of reduced touch,” says Białek. Till we can get our own Enclaves, let’s continue with those daily walks.

Designer: Monolight Studio