Are you sick and tired of spending valuable time commuting to work and enduring peak-hour traffic and road rage? Well now that most people have access to mobile phones, email, video conferencing and the Internet - the dream of trading in an office job for working from home can become a reality. However, separating work from home life can sometimes be difficult. That’s where the Pod comes in – it might look like an enormous coconut has landed in your garden, but this is a unique garden office that is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, plus it gives you a designated space in which to work.
The Pod is the first of a number of designs planned by Archipod - pronounced ‘ark-ee-pod’, as in ‘architecture’ – a York-based company. Its spherical shape gives the Pod an unusual look but it's a result of the company’s aim - to create garden office buildings that are not only energy-efficient and eco-friendly, but also out-of-the-ordinary.
The Pod is made mainly of timber which comes from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) registered suppliers or is reused from surplus manufacturing. The heating comes from an electric panel radiator which heats the space effectively and heat loss is minimized because of the level of insulation in the building.
In order to create an efficiently insulated office space - the walls have encapsulated fiberglass insulation – made from recycled glass. The plasterboard covers high-performance foil insulation and there is also a vapor barrier. In addition, the stainless steel porthole windows are double glazed and the double skinned carbonate roof dome harnesses natural light and ventilation.
The Pod is prefabricated in sections – so if your garden is particularly hard to access, the Pod can be carried through your house. It measures approximately three meters (about ten feet) in diameter and has a height of two and a half meters (about eight feet).
The external cladding is made from Western Red Cedar shingles which can be treated or untreated. The Pod uses dimmable spotlights, has an electric panel heater, smoke alarm and a data outlet for phone lines.
The ergonomic semicircular desk has cable management below and custom-made drawer units and hardwood desktops are available by request. The timber floor contains fiberglass insulation and the foundations are made of concrete or steel posts.
The Pod is made to order and starts at around GBP12,000 (about US$20,000 at time of publication). This includes the insulated Pod, cedar shingles, door, window, glazed roof, foundations and full installation. Of course, the Pod can be used in a variety of other ways – think playroom, teenager retreat, even an extra entertainment area. See Archipod for more details.
