FOPods (Future Office Pods) revamp the office building typology. As we continually advance technologically, the office needs transform from physical space to virtual (paperless) space. The office becomes hand-held, thus decreasing the office footprint. FOPods capitalize on this concept to create a unique, open air, minimal footprint, public, and hourly rentable office spaces. The jury for the AIA San Francisco Design Awards noted that this “aspirational” plan is reminiscent of a 1960’s hyper-future in its forward thinking approach.

We developed a series of screens to test the limitations and potential of Ductal; an ultra-high performance concrete. The material offers superior strength, durability and the capacity to span large openings with minimal thickness when compared to traditional concrete. In addition, the material is highly moldable and can be poured into small pockets, filling gaps that would otherwise be impossible using standard reinforcing.

Based on our handrail design for a previous client, we generated a pattern that would allow seamless tiling from one panel to the next. The pattern can grow or shrink and be open or closed, depending on the requirements of the client, site and program. The design can be implemented on the exterior of a building as a superficial rain screen, or integrated into a weatherproof exterior facade system. It can also be used on the interior of a building as a visual screen or focal wall.

The panel was fabricated using a CNC mill. The mill allowed us to bypass the time-consuming process of drafting 2d drawings. After finalizing the computer model, we simply uploaded the 3d information directly to the milling machine, which then cut the form from a block of foam. Ductal was then poured into the foam mold. After a few days of drying, the final panel is extracted from the mold and ready to be installed.

We design buildings, additions, interiors, exteriors, furniture, lights, graphics, and much more. Please contact us today for a free consultation.

OTA+ has received awards for their design work and exhibited projects at galleries internationally, including the SFMOMA, the Architectural League of New York, the Storefront for Art and Architecture, the Architectural Association in London, the Universidad de Monterrey Centro and the AIA Gallery in San Francisco. Their work has been published in books, blogs, magazines and journals.

Kory Bieg, AIA, is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at California College of the Arts and Academy of Art University, and a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. Bieg has lectured about his work and been an invited panelist for symposium on digital fabrication and form. Kory Bieg received his Master in Architecture from Columbia University in New York City and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in Saint Louis. He is a registered architect in the state of California and Colorado.

Alexa Getting joined OTA+ in 2010. She received her Master of Architecture from California College of the Arts and a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Getting currently teaches at the Academy of Art University. In 2011 she received the Unbuilt Design Award from the American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter for FOPods, a hyper-futuristic office building.

We would love to hear from you.