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A Modular Office Pop-Up Office... Made from Reclaimed Pallets

By Ray Hu - February 12, 2013

in Architecture

Several readers voiced various plaints about Balzer & Kuwertz's recently-seen Pallet Chairs, but I was most convinced by Scott #2's comment that "Pallets are reused for shipping over and over, so it's not like you're saving materials from the waste stream." According to IFCO—"the largest pallet services company in the county"—"less than 3% of the nearly 700 million pallets manufactured and repaired each year end up in landfills according to a study by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the USDA Forestry Service."

Even so, pallets remain a compelling material for their pragmatic provenance and rugged aesthetics, as in Toronto-based Dubbeldam Architecture + Design's recent Pop-Up Office. Designed for the How Do You Work special exhibition at last month's Interior Design Show in their hometown, the workspace concept consists of five different modules come in standard dimensions based partly on their source material.There has been a profound shift in the way we work; when all we need is a surface to work on and a place to plug in, the working environment is no longer static. Mobility, adaptability and flexibility are the new key elements of the modern office.

The POP-UP Office is an installation that explores the evolving way in which we work. Using modular units that can be combined in different ways, the result is a workspace that is simultaneously bare bones and tailored to the individual. Built out of reclaimed wood pallet boards and their frames, separate modules collectively form the modern work place facilitating both individual work and collaboration—a workspace, collaborative space, lounge area and refueling station. In sinuous forms, the reclaimed boards morph from the wall and floor into furniture elements, sanded where the human body comes in contact with the wood and left rough where it does not. The modules are made up of separate planes (floor, wall, ceiling) and furniture elements that are assembled in different configurations. Modular shelves can be inserted into slots between wall boards, creating adjustable display and storage areas. Smaller ledges slide into gaps between the wood slats.

The possibilities are endless; easily transported, reconfigurable and rapidly deployed, pop-up offices are designed for short term use, atypical applications such as outdoor festivals or disaster relief situations, or start-ups looking for modest office space. With the playful use of materials, lighting and furniture components, each module is made distinct, while being easily reconfigured to fit individual needs. Stripping away the superfluous, the POP-UP Office embodies adaptability—the space itself morphs in conjunction with workplace needs.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but I imagine that the modules are designed to slot into, say, a shipping container...

Via Archello

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cw

11 years ago

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for being pop-up and transportable I would think you'd want to eliminate the excess material...all the wood panels on vertical surfaces for example to keep weight down. Adjustable shelves are nice but there are more effective and less material intense measures that can be employed to arrive at the same design destination. Makes for nice eye candy but rather excessive in my opinion.
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Jack Handy

11 years ago

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i've made probably 10-15 coffee tables out of old shipping pallets, and i have REALLY loved the way they turned out when using these casters - http://cardinalcaster.com/vintage-retro-casters.html - love the vintage / industrial look and feel to them. classic.
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bob

11 years ago

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I understand why this get lots of buzz- I am still wondering why my concept for pallets made of precious hardwood hasn't got much buzz. I figured the ol switcharoo had symmetry. WRONG
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Sam

11 years ago

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I would like to remind you that 3percent of 700million is still A LOT of pallets going to landfill.
There is an interesting woodworking competition here in Victoria, Australia that has been running for a few years called Create from a Crate and according to their website (http://www.wasteconverters.com.au/RecyclingCompetition.php)
"Each year 500,000 tonnes of timber waste is disposed of in Victoria. Much of this timber waste is packaging waste in the form of pallets, crates and boxes."
You should check out some of the previous years finalists, one guy made a violin out of a crate!

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username3D

11 years ago

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nice work, though did they buy the pallets brand new from the pallet manufacturer? because after milling out all of the imperfections, rough edges and stains in the pallet's I've found, I'm left with maybe 3/8" of stock at best
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