One of the things I love about being a freelancer is the ability to work virtually anywhere I please, even from the sofa or bed. But regular, 9-to-5 office spaces have been changing too, with cubicles giving way to more open plan setups. Design students at ÉCAL University have come up with this ingenious work space layout as part of a workshop, which they call Workbay Village. It is a flexible, fun workspace, which allows employees to work, nap, and even grow plants.

Workbay Village is made up of custom-designed office pods, which were inspired by the so-called Workbays system of office dividers originally designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. The workshop was led by Erwan Bouroullec and Camille Blin, and the main goal was to create an office which fosters greater interaction between people by giving workers a chance to step away from work and exchange ideas in a more casual manner.

One of the pods that makes up this office set-up is the so-called Farm Bay, which was created by ÉCAL student Paula Cermeno. It allows employees to grow and care for plants, while also purifying the air inside the office. Another of the pods is the so-called Bar Bay, which was created by student Sara de Campos, and it is a sort of bar, which lets employees have their happy hour right in the office. The style of this pod was inspired by Japanese sushi bars.

The Nap Bay, as the name suggests, is a pod where people can take a quick nap during the workday. It features a comfy looking bed and curtains for privacy, and was designed by Yasunori Morinaga. Another sleeping area was designed by Antoine Chauvin and is called Capsule Bay. It was inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, and it is made up of two small bedrooms one on top of the other, with the top one accessible via a set of rungs. The lamps, standing desk chairs, wall bins and the bungee-cord storage system, were also designed by the students specifically for this project.