
OfficePod - Tiny, Minimalist Office Space - rgrieselhuber
http://www.officepod.co.uk/
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jcromartie
Just shy of $25K USD for a small room with a door as a single person's
computer-based workspace? This is mind-numbingly stupid. You could hardly meet
with a second person in there, let alone do anything on a whiteboard or
requiring much more physical space than the small desk inside.

Why do tiny, minimalist things always _cost so much_?

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pg
In a place where land was expensive it might make economic sense. E.g. in Old
Palo Alto houses cost about $1000 per square foot.

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tjic
In a place where land is expensive you can still go ahead and build a 25 ft^2
addition for a hell of a lot less than $25k.

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pg
The expensive part is the land, not the construction cost. The reason this is
attractive is that because it's not a building, it doesn't cost any land.

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rooshdi
It may not cost anything for land, but the same thing goes for a regular tent,
table, and chair. I think the greatest value proposition this product offers
is the modern indoor office setting, which alone should attract quite a few
buyers. Other than that, it really doesn't offer me anything much more than
what a regular tent, table, and chair can do. I must admit, it is nice eye
candy though.

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cypherdog
I'd only buy it if it made a cool airlock decompression noise everytime I open
the door.

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axod
>> "An independent study has shown that moving to OfficePOD reduces CO2
emissions by between 46% & 67%. __"

Where to start :/

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joubert
I think they meant methane. When you fart, that pod will keep it all sealed
inside. You might die of course.

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briancooley
I'd much prefer something like the ones shown at <http://www.modern-
shed.com/modeloffice.html>

Different locales, so it may not be fair to compare prices, but the 6'x8'
option above is about one third the price for comparable square footage.

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va_coder
I don't think it's that crazy for home offices. It could serve as a way to
communicate to others that you are working, and it could help you mentally
separate work and recreation.

They could also make it a tanning salon/office combo. Not only will you get
your work done, but you'll get a great tan as well ;)

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generalk
For that kind of money you could easily outfit an existing room with a top-
quality computer, comfortable desk and chair, office supplies, whatever you
need to work.

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j_baker
I don't think the biggest issue is money. It's more about _space_. Not
everyone has an extra room that they can dedicate to having an office. And
they may not even be able to add one for $25k.

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HeyLaughingBoy
No, but if you can find the space to put a pod like this outside, then you can
find room for a small garden shed that costs < $1000 and outfit it with really
nice furniture for a hell of a lot less than $25k.

Where I live, you can build a 30'x60'x15' pole shed for about $15k. That's
bigger than some people's _apartments_!

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thafman
It took me about three minuets to get that this not a gag.

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westbywest
Nevertheless, such a pod would be rendered obsolete by the SurvivaBall. At
least the ball travels around with you. <http://survivaball.com/>

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jodrellblank
OffishBowl - Tiny thief friendly glass box office for your garden.

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bstewartny
Actually I've thought about something similar many times (except I'd just
build it myself). Or, maybe having a small RV to work in... getting away from
wife and kid during work is the main issue for me ;)

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TrevorJ
If I _had_ to spend that much money on a portable cubicle, I would use a
shipping container as my platform instead. They are cheep, strong, secure and
there is a worldwide infrastructure in place to ship them as cheaply as
possible. I could have the whole thing shipped anywhere in the world with
ease.

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pg
Nice looking, but you'd roast in one of these in California. They should add a
fabric shade on top of it that extends at least 3 feet past the footprint on
each side.

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a-priori
And you'd freeze in one of these in Canada. Unless you have a space heater,
but in that case their claims of environmental benefits go out the window.

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wheels
Assuming that's double paned class and that the rest is well insulated it'd be
fine. Not everything in the world is constructed as shoddily as most houses in
North America. We've got double paned windows and when it's -10°C out I can
put my hand on them and they're only cool to the touch, not cold.

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billswift
You need to actually check R-values. Even triple-pane windows with low-
pressure dry Nitrogen between them has less insulation value than a
sheetrocked stud wall with _no added insulation_.

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robin_reala
Unfortunately, <http://www.officepod.co.uk/blog/uk-price-announcement/>

_OfficePOD are pleased to announce an introductory price - for the United
Kingdom - of just £14,950 plus installation and VAT._

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Nekojoe
So adding VAT at 17.5% that's £2,616.25 Bringing the total up to £17,566.25
Which is about $28,276 (USD). That's before you pay for installation too.

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aroon
I think this would be so much better and useful if it was a solar powered
shower that sat in your garden. It could catch rain water when available and
use tap water (from the hose) otherwise. It's pretty simple to stick a water
tank in a solar oven to heat the water too. And you don't need a water pump if
the water tank is on the roof, you get plenty of water pressure from gravity.

The water could also then drain into the garden if you used the right soaps in
the shower.

A nice design like this could really bring grey water to people who don't want
to build their own outdoor showers.

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aroon
BTW, I know this idea is kind of out of left field but its the first thing I
thought when I saw the box. It really looks like it would be a pleasure to
take a shower in it while being in the garden.

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motters
Looks horrendous. Who wants to work inside a tiny box?

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jodrellblank
Agreed. If I was designing something like that, it would have a motorized
roof. And a comfier chair. And a bigger desk. And be more like an open space
which closed up for security at night than a closed space all the time. Or
even, more like sitting outside with a laptop on a patio table and instead of
walls closing around for security, you go back inside...

PS. Gardners want to work in tiny glass boxes because plants grow better in
the warm humid greenhousy atmosphere. Maybe ideas do too?

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peter_jansson
You will have to work really hard to stay warm when the temperature drops and
the rain turns into snow... But maybe that's the idea? - To improve
efficiency?

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smiler
Nice idea in concept but with all that glass going on I don't see how it can
heat very well in the UK winter.

It doesn't include the cost of running power / network / phone line to it
either - which if you want it done properly and done underground is not
terribly cheap.

Lastly it just looks like a magnet for burglars to be breaking in and stealing
stuff

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RiderOfGiraffes
This got submitted 8 months ago: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=623266>

It didn't get a very good reception then, either.

EDIT: Sorry, looking at the wrong article. Last time it got one comment, and
that was negative.

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statenjason
They should promote them as stackable too. Imagine these developer cubes
filling a warehouse.

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look_lookatme
Something like this (not this) would be wonderful on top of a building in NYC.
If you lived in a brownstone (owned a brownstone) and could put one of these
on top, that'd be awesome.

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joubert
[http://www.wejetset.com/magazine/2009/6/23/723/places_to_liv...](http://www.wejetset.com/magazine/2009/6/23/723/places_to_live:_loft)

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Mark_B
For that price, if you want to have an office out in the garden, build a
gazebo and REALLY enjoy your office being outdoors.

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truebosko
I prefer a coffee shop when not at home :-)

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ivenkys
Rubbish idea, sitting looking like a glass-fish in a bowl and at this price
point Totally Rubbish.

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gills
Ugh...does it come with your very own standard issue citizen's pants and
shoes?

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xenonite
less windows please... the cube is much too open!

especially the window behind. read Feng Shui: they say it's uncomfortable if
you cannot control what's behind you.

to let in light, a glass roof might be better instead.

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adam-_-
They look pretty nice but what if it's raining?!

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mhb
Why is that a problem? It looks like it has ventilation so you'd just close
the door.

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adam-_-
Yeh but you'd have to walk from your house, to your office in the rain,
instead of rolling out of bed into your office.

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mhb
The alpha version:

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/apollosputnik/2447744070/>

