Polish designer imagines a sustainable workspace on Krakow’s river

Polish designer Agnieszka Białek has unveiled a concept coworking space that would see remote workers floating on the water in the heart of Krakow.

Based on the structure of floating water lilies and their root system, Enclaves on the Vistula River envisions a series of interconnected “cells” or platforms anchored to the river bed, each hosting its own private workspaces. Shaped to mimic geometric arrangements of river foam, the structure can also be rearranged to better suit the natural environment or the river’s flow.

Each oval-shaped “cell” has integrated furnishings suitable for individual work or meetings. Individual spaces would be available to rent via an hourly booking system, and could stay open 24/7.

Białek, who founded the city’s Monolight Studio, was inspired to create the project while walking along the river during quarantine, where she imagined how the city’s unused natural spaces could be used more sustainably. The designer says she put sustainability at the heart of her concept, forming a model that could be created using a 3D printer and waterproof, recyclable materials.

She believes that similar co-working models will become more popular as more companies shift to remote working post-pandemic. “[Soon], we will notice fatigue within the home space, and we will gladly move the work zone from home to another place,” she says. “It is easier to focus on performing specific tasks when working in a designed space.”