One of last year’s most high-profile launches from Abstracta was undoubtedly Zen Pod – a smart and highly flexible pod room designed by Staffan Holm. Now, Zen Pod has been updated with improved functions and is also available in two larger sizes to provide space for slightly larger meetings.
Places for creativity and dialogue must be balanced with spaces for reflection and concentration. To open the door to Zen Pod is to step into just such an environment – while the room offers much more for modern working life than only quietness.
”As our workplaces change, the need for flexible quiet rooms has increased dramatically. Zen Pod has been hugely well received by customers who feel that the product solves many difficult problems in the workplace in a subtle way. At the same time, we have realized that there is a need for even larger rooms for group meetings and conferences, which is why we are now taking the plunge by offering the Zen Pod solution in sizes XL for six people and XXL for eight people,” says designer Staffan Holm.
It’s no coincidence that Zen Pod has received so much positive attention from customers and design press since its first launch. It’s a product perfectly suited to a time like ours, characterized by major changes in how we work. Not least through the emergence of hybrid workplaces, with different environments for different purposes and preferences: offices, digital environments, satellite offices, home offices, co-working spaces. It can also include both urban and rural environments. This does not mean that the office as an idea is obsolete. Rather, it will be remodeled based on what is already its main advantage: serving as a place for community, creativity, and meetings and as a strategic tool for building a strong corporate culture. Staffan Holm elaborates:
”Workplaces are clearly moving towards solutions with less personal space for each employee, where daily conversations out in the open create a purely unhealthy working environment. At the same time, we see a clear trend towards shorter leases, which contributes to a reduction in the possibility of adapting premises, which also risks locking in the premises solution where flexibility is highly desirable. Here, we now have excellent solutions both from the tenants’ perspective but also for landlords, who can offer flexible premises adaptations of a very high standard.”
”Completely silent rooms can be quite unpleasant to be in. The Zen Pod allows the surrounding environment to emerge, but without disturbing. The room is quiet, not enclosed. My vision has always been to create an environment with a high level of comfort, where good soundproofing is definitely one of the major pillars, but for me, the experience of the room is also strongly linked to how we experience it through lighting and choice of materials. My guiding principle has been calm Japanese rooms with tatami mats, a muted color scheme, and the possibility of filtering auditory and visual impressions from outside,” says Staffan Holm.
Besides the two larger versions, Abstracta has also updated the fan technology to provide higher airflow and lower noise levels and installed a smart timer for lighting and ventilation. In addition, the overall weight of the room has been reduced, making it easier to assemble. The Zen Pod also has a new carpet with higher durability.
Zen Pod is equipped with a wide range of functions and features – both technical and design-related. The basic idea is to offer a creative and acoustic oasis that blends elegantly into environments characterized by meetings and movement. From universities and hospitals to modern offices, the room offers a quiet, safe, and welcoming environment while being much more than a quiet retreat to catch your breath. Thanks to its quiet but high-performance ventilation and warm, natural materials such as wood and wool textiles combined with glass, aluminium, and steel, Zen Pod is also a space to thrive in. For designer Staffan Holm, it was important to create a space that felt inviting and not the least bit confined.
Simplicity is key
The room is easy to assemble, easy to use, and is designed to blend in with its surroundings. The sparse and harmonious design of the room is influenced by Japanese interiors – reflected not least in the clean lines and square composition. This expression can be further enhanced by adding an optional wooden trellis in beautiful oak on the glass wall. The Zen Pod also has a dual acoustic function in that the acoustic walls ensure that sound is absorbed instead of bouncing back – helping to improve the soundscape in the outside environment as well.
Zen Pod is available in two versions: Essential and Advanced, and with the launch of the XL and XXL rooms, now in a total of five sizes. All versions of Zen Pod are characterized by exquisite material choices, non-reflective, adjustable lighting and state-of-the-art ventilation, and a design that is well-thought-out in every detail. All Zen Pod sizes have fold-down castors and the room can be supplied with ready-made furniture packages, depending on whether it is to be used as a meeting room or as space for focused work. Zen Pod is also available with customized, optional furniture and accessory packages.
Product information Zen Pod
Design: Staffan Holm
Material: Frame in Hydro CIRCAL 75% recycled aluminium. Wooden beams, panel, and handle in oak (clear lacquered or black stained). Sound-absorbing laminated glass. Sound-absorbing ceiling panel in black Focus textile from Gabriel. The Advanced version has walls upholstered in Kvadrat Re-wool 128. Essential has textiles in six standard colors of Focus Melange from Gabriel
Dimensions: Small: 1200x1200x2310 mm, Medium: 1200x2310x2310 mm, Large: 2320x2320x2310 mm, XL: 3410 x 2320 x 2310 mm, XXL: 4515 x 2320 x 2310 mm
Acoustic performance: Class A sound attenuation (ISO 23351). Reduces sound by 31 dB. The large acoustic outer walls provide external sound absorption (ISO 20189).
Technology: NEC Multisync M551 LCD 55″ screen and a Bose VideobarTM VB1 all-in-one USB conferencing unit.
Sustainability: Möbelfakta certified. 5-year warranty and 10-year warranty on spare parts. 95% recyclable and covered by Zero Waste, a recycling program for end-of-life Abstracta products. Produced in Sweden.
Recommended approx. price incl. VAT: Small: from 12 719 EURO, Medium: from 18 807 EURO, Large: 25 702 EURO, XL: 35 713 EURO, XXL: 44 695 EURO.
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About Abstracta
Abstracta have been working to create better soundscapes since 1972 – which makes the company acoustics pioneers. Today, Abstracta offers a wide variety of solutions for different types of environments and requirements – from thoughtfully designed sound-absorbent screens and surfaces to innovative furniture with integrated acoustic characteristics. In close collaboration with some of the world’s most influential contemporary designers, Abstracta is constantly exploring new ways to create better soundscapes. Abstracta manufactures our furniture in Småland, Sweden, and their customers are located throughout the world. Abstracta is part of Lammhults Design Group.
Read more at: abstracta.se