Japanese office culture is notorious for incredibly long hours of work, and Japanese engineering firm Ryonetsu has developed a one-man smoking pod to let workers stay in the office even longer.
The smoking booths, which were originally noticed by Japanese news agency Sankei Shimbun, look similar to the phone booths of the 80s and 90s. They are small rectangular boxes with glass doors that fit a single person. However, rather than placing a call, Ryonetsu's booths let workers safely have a smoke.
The key to the system is its exhaust fans, located in the top of the pods. Any smoke that workers expel will be pulled into the office building's air system and safely deposited outside, leaving the interior of the office smoke-free. Beyond placing the pods in public spaces around the office, Ryonetsu recommends placing them in people's personal office, too.
Office Smoking Pods
Ryonetsu Has Developed a Single-Occupant Smoking Booth for Office Workers
Trend Themes
1. Smoking Pods in Offices - The smoking pods technology can be incorporated into various office buildings worldwide.
2. Individualized Personal Space Solutions - The technology involved in creating single-person smoking booths may be repurposed for creating other small, personalized spaces in shared workspaces.
3. Air Quality Management Technology - The exhaust fans in the smoking pods can be repurposed for management of air quality in shared workspaces.
Industry Implications
1. Commercial Real Estate - Smoking pods could be installed in office buildings worldwide as a new value-adding amenity.
2. Workplace Design - Individualized personal space solutions represent a strategic shift in workplace design with an emphasis on modular concepts.
3. Environmental Engineering - Air quality management technology, such as the exhaust fans used in the smoking pods, presents an opportunity for new innovations in environmental engineering solutions.