We have all being forced to sit at home with our spouse and children due to the Nation wide lockdown due to Corona. We are all facing challenges in this unique ‘vacation’ that has been thrust upon us without being planned and prepared for it. The uncertainty of life post lockdown has confused our intellects and we are all in some what – state of suspension.
With no house-help we all have had to choose and participate in the maintenance of the house and other sustaining activities. In spare time few of us have revived old hobbies, while the others idle time watching Netflix. An enterprising few have managed to keep themselves occupied in work. Our children too have had not much respite, their schools have suddenly gone ‘online’ and they find themselves in the comfort of their homes but looking at their teachers grappling with new methods of teaching and communicating. Post school they find the living room too small a playground for their adventurous minds.
In this situation, finding a space for everyone to perform their formalities and indulgences in quiet privacy is being very challenging. Finding your own personal and comfortable corner within an already cramped urban house is a dream we never had. Working people have been subject to ‘Work from Home’ and children have got a taste of ‘E-School’ paradigm. Despite the lockdown being phased out slowly, it might take a long time for ‘normalcy’ to return, or will it?
Design
The shift to a work from home paradigm has had it merits. Various other activities like workshops & seminars, socialising with friends and family too, have found a new lease of life in these times thanks to the video chat platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook Live, etc. We have all now begun to question the meaningless and unsustainable formality of meeting people in blood to perform a transaction. Eventually Offices and schools will take note of this format and adapt it in some form or the other.
Given this eventuality, we will have to make some changes to our homes and create some infrastructure to enable us, as it might not be justified and we will not be able to move into a bigger house soon, given the economic uncertainty caused due to a complete nationwide lockdown.
As designers we have to take up this challenge and think of ideas that can help people create more value within their existing homes for a new paradigm. For starters we have decided to look at the possibility of privacy & comfort in working from home.
‘HomeWork Pod’ is a furniture system that will enable all, young and old to conduct formal tasks from comforts of their homes. This system consists of a workstation and chair which is ergonomically designed for all age groups for study, video communication, gaming and entertainment in complete privacy and comfort.
The desk is a modern articulation of work surfaces that offers efficient and ergonomic placement of writing top, keyboard and mouse operations, laptop working, display monitors, camera & speakers. It is supplemented by lighting system and mini air conditioner for convenience and comfort. Space for storage & equipment like CPU cabinet & voltage stabiliser, white board & soft board, green screen and optional backgrounds.
The highlight of this furniture is a collapsible envelope & shutters which will help enclose the entire furniture for privacy and air tightness. The design of this mechanism is such that it allows replacing the existing desk and occupy minimum space. The envelope can be drawn in position after one sits on the workstation, hence only encroaching the movement space before sitting.
Being a furniture the cost will be completely based on the scale of manufacturing and enterprise. Materials & finishes can be tweaked easily to suit the demand and perception of the potential buyers.