Work Pod for Students Workstation by Ammar Kalo

Work Pod for Students Workstation by Ammar Kalo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.

IronInterior· 2020

Work Pod for Students Workstation

by Ammar Kalo

Client: CAAD Design Build Initiative

A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category

13,349

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #94008

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Work Pod for Students Workstation

Work Pod for Students is a workstation designed for open plan studios and other public spaces. The pod offers a quiet and semi-private place for solo work. The structure is made of aluminum, with a polycarbonate skin and wood furniture elements. Colored vinyl graphics on the panels feather out toward the edges, so the pod blends into its surroundings. Felt sheets on the interior absorb sound. Public seats, standing desks and a large pin-up board are placed on the outer surfaces. Six heavy duty casters and a hidden folding pull bar allow easy moving.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award

Work Pod for Students Workstation is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Work Pod for Students Workstation is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Work Pod for Students Workstation is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.

Image Analysis

Color Temperature: CoolSymmetry: PartialBackground: No Clear Backdrop

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: These pods are designed to provide a comfortable solo working environment in public spaces while minimizing their visual presence as much as possible.

With multiple pods produced, they can also be arranged in various ways to allow interaction between users in the different pods. In addition, there are public seats and standing desks incorporate in the out skin that give users more functional furniture, as well as a large pin-up board on the back side of the pod.
Dimensions & Packaging: 2000 mm x 1100 mm x 1950 mm
Tags: Workstation, Furniture Design, Interior design, polycarbonate, color, aluminum
Production Technology: The work pod itself is comprised of three separate components, the aluminum structure,a polycarbonate skin, and wood furniture elements. Colored vinyl graphics on the polycarbonate panels wrap around the structure and change in intensity responding to where users might be, and feathering out toward the edges to help the pod blend in with its surroundings. The overall effect is providing more privacy for the work areas while still allowing for various lighting conditions, in addition to the ambient and task lighting provided inside.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was designing a work pod that is semi-enclosed, but also doesn't feel tight nor too open. The use of colored translucent screens was a design solution to carefully balance those needs. In addition, because of the use of polycarbonate panels, the pod had to have some sound absorbing material, which lead to the extensive use of natural felt sheets and wood on the interior.
Research: Through observational studies and surveys, the designers worked on several 1:1 scale cardboard and plywood mockups that were built to resolve all the component dimensions in the workstation. Designers also conducted a comprehensive survey that questioned over 50 students and potential users within the college about what factors they consider when choosing a location to work and what the most important aspects of a work pod must be.
The full scale mock-ups were also used as part of the survey, giving survey respondents hands-on experience. The immediate user feedback gained was used to rapidly iterate on the design accordingly.
It was clear from the survey of 14 questions that the most vital issues needed to be addressed are acoustics and privacy related, as well as visual isolation.
Inspiration: This project is a direct response to a problem recognized in most open plan working studios, namely the lack of working stations that are relatively private, quiet and visually screened. The intention was to design a comfortable work pod that provides a serene working environment.
Project Duration: Project began in August 2018 and was completed December 2018
Operation Flow: The pod has a hidden foldable pull bar which allows easily moving the pod on its six heavy duty casters. Several pods could be positioned next to one another, allowing for various types of interactions between its users.
Team Members: Ammar Kalo
Eman Shafiq
Fatma Ibrahim
Heba Alhayek
Jawaher Al Muttari
Jumanah Rizk
Malaz Ibrahim
Marina Nasif
Moza Al Mehairi
Omaima Ansary
Prathyush Pradeep
Shahd Abdul Ghani
Yasmin Abdel Rehim
Yasmine Fahmy
Zenah Fadhil