E.G.G

Context

In working environments, it is important to provide places of relaxation, rest and calm. This helps to balance out the stress or anxiety experienced in the working space, to put mental health first. A busy, stressful city such as Hong Kong where working hours are long with little time to rest and unwind takes a mental toll on every individual's mind. According to Cigna's COVID-19 Global Impact Study, the overall well-being in Hong Kong during June 2020 has dropped from 57.8 to 57.2, which is lower than the global average of 61.3. Along with the added stress of not being able to spend time out of the small apartments of Hong Kong, the global pandemic has been a challenging time for the citizens. Having a place of comfort for activities such as reading, napping, meditating would help clear the minds of individuals.

The overpopulated city of Hong Kong is small and compact, to the point where there is a lack of private space for each individual. According to statistics on the average living space per person, it shows that Hong Kong people only own 160 square feet per person, while in other developed cities such as New York and Paris, they are respectively 414 sq feet and 388 sq feet per person. Therefore, in our point of view, Hong Kong people are living in crowdedness instead of privacy. 

A place of comfort in work places needs to be quiet, compact and provides a sense of privacy, enclosure and security. Moreover, to allow flexibility in smaller working environments or offices, there needs to be more consideration in terms of the size of these private spaces. 

Considering the size of this space and its need to provide a barrier against the outward distractions, the E.G.G. would be a suitable product. An egg shaped pod that is cocoon like symbolizes safety and enclosure, the shell a barrier against the exterior world. 

Objectives

The E.G.G. is designed to be compact, lightweight, with a simple and modular design so that it can be replicated. Its light materials such as the plastic shell, iron joint and size allow the product to be portable, with wheels under to make the transport process easy and efficient. It is designed where half of the shell is converted into a cover, able to be lifted and lowered. When lowered, a safe, silent, private space is created.

A comfortable reading and resting space requires seating that suits the human body. The depth and heights of the seat is designed to snugly fit, the inclination of the back allows the upper body to rest against it comfortably, providing the best gesture for reading. The width of the arm rest serves different functions, it is wide enough to serve as a small table space for books or stationary, and also storage for the charging station on the interior side of the E.G.G.

Besides the seating space, a storage nook is installed on the rear end of the pod. The compartment cover can be lifted to reveal a space of storage for the user’s personal belongings, able to be locked up to avoid security issues.

A charging station is provided on the interior of the pod, near the armrest for easy access. As the pod could also serve as a private working space, laptops or electronic devices could be placed on the armrest and charged, increasing convenience for users.

The dark interiors of the pod creates a calming atmosphere, however sufficient lighting is added to ensure a comfortable working or reading space is provided. Aside from the natural light from the surrounding environment, an LED light strip is added along the sides of the pod, illuminating when the cover is lowered with the options to switch it on and off. Its position is designed thus avoiding glare of light into the user’s eyes.

Material 

In order to attain the lightest weight of the pod, the main shell of the pod is made of a plastic called polypropylene. It does not only serve as a lightweight material, but also is flexible, facilitating the manufacture of the spherical shape of the shell. Moreover, polypropylene is strong and tough, giving itself the ability to stand up to forces being applied without it bending, breaking, shattering or deforming in any way, significantly increasing the life of the chair without maintenance. 

Looking into the seat of E.G.G, it is coated with Boucle, a soundproofing fabric. Boucle is commonly used in modern furniture due to its natural white, milky color, which perfectly suits the minimalist interior design nowadays. Nonetheless, the elegance of boucle is not the only reason why it is used in E.G.G, another important reason for the adoption is its unique soundproofing quality, which further enforced the sense of isolation staying in the pod. 

At the same time, polyurethane foam is chosen for the filling of the seat. Same as boucle, polyurethane foam is also known as a soundproofing material. Moreover, its lightweight, durability and versatility, which allows a variety of shapes and forms in design, made us apply it into our design. 

Assembly

As portability is one of our main concerns, assembly of the pod plays a crucial role in E.G.G. The pod is simplified as much as possible, which only contains a cover, a seat, a shell, a storage nook, and the bottom cover with the wheels. Having less parts allows a simpler installation, we hope our pod can be assembled by anyone without difficulties.

Resources

1. https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/hong-kong-records-highest-stress-levels-globally-amid-pandemic