Could eco-friendly, high-tech pods on wheels be the future of remote work?

Remote work is here to stay even after COVID-19 ends, revealed the Gartner CFO Survey. According to the survey, “74% (of CFOs and finance leaders) will move at least 5% of their previously on-site workforce to permanently remote positions post COVID-19.” 

REI Co-op President and CEO Eric Artz said, “The company will lean into remote working as an engrained, supported, and normalized model for headquarters employees.” He added, “The dramatic events of 2020 have challenged us to reexamine and rethink every aspect of our business and many of the assumptions of the past. That includes where and how we work.” 

California design firm Denizen is taking remote working to the next level with prefabricated work pods that aim to optimize the work environment in a high-tech setting. The 3D-printed Denizen Archetype offers remote workers a functional and personal space that will allow them to work out of office, anywhere. 

The office pod looks like a modern cubicle. It is spacious enough to provide a comfortable workspace, but portable enough to be set up anywhere with very few permits. The mobile smartpod is built using 100% recyclable, sustainable materials. 

The structure of the Denizen smartpod has been meticulously crafted and features a solid wood bench and desk, an integrated router, cameras (for video conferencing), speakers, integrated storage, concealed electrical ports and outlets as well as several other amenities. It comes equipped with a fully integrated HVAC system and can be supplied with single phase 120V AC 40 amp feed. The sleek workpod even features a planter made out of cross laminated timber.

With fewer employees coming into the office, businesses are downsizing their expensive office spaces and looking to explore more flexible, customized options that are a better fit for the future of work. Denizen CEO Nick pitches the Archetype as something that could fit into any firm’s post-coronavirus era real estate plans. The project is being supported by seed funding, and Foley envisions eventually renting the smartpods for about $1,000 a month or selling them for around $55,000.