The world’s first floating, self-sustainable office pod was launched last week in an estuary of Southern England’s River Beaulieu. It is called the Exbury Egg, and it is the product of a group of revolutionary artists, engineers and architects who first put this idea into action two years ago.
The lucky inhabitant of the floating office is artist Stephen Turner, who plans to stay in the office for the next 12 months studying the marine life in a tidal creek.
Along with Turner, the two who had the most involvement in the pod’s construction were boat builder Paul Baker and naval architect Stephen Payne. Measuring 20 feet long and nine feet wide, the Exbury Egg is mostly made of cold, molded plywood and timber. While it is capable of sustaining itself through 730 tidal changes, Turner will probably spend most of his time floating at high-tide and resting on the river floor at low-tide.
The Exbury Egg will also be the subject of an education program for elementary school kids. The students will monitor Turner’s findings during his time in the pod and learn how the project can further our understanding of certain ecosystems while acting as a representation of our research capabilities in the fields of architecture and environmental science.
