Microsoft reimagines the cubicle with futuristic focus pod

What you need to know

• A concept by the Microsoft Office Envisioning Team won a Red Dot award for the Flowspace Pod.
• The design presents an open chamber that would help people focus within a hybrid work environment.
• A computer within a mockup of the Flowspace Pod appears similar to the display of the Surface Studio.

A concept from Microsoft won an award from Red Dot, which declares the idea among "the best of the best in 2021." It's called the Flowspace Pod, and it takes a new approach to compartmentalized working. Rather than completely enclosing someone within a cubicle or blocked off environment, the Flowspace Pod has an open concept that still allows people to focus.

The Microsoft Office Envisioning Team came up with the idea for hybrid workplaces. The Flowspace Pod features a computer that appears to be heavily inspired by the Surface Studio. A video of the concept shows a PC screen with then bezels tilting down and back up. Later in the video, speakers pop out of the sides of the pod.

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The Flowspace Pod looks a bit like a cubicle redesigned for modern hybrid work. It has open sides that would allow people to easily work without feeling trapped in a box. Mockups of the setup show versions with and without the back.

"The Flowspace Pod is a vision for the new normal, a sanctuary for focus and deep work in highly collaborative hybrid workplaces where solo work time will become more precious," reads the description of the idea on the Red Dot award page.

At least for now, the Flowspace Pod is only a concept. If you'd like to immerse yourself in your work and lower distractions, you'll have to resort to a pair of the best noise-canceling headphones.