Koto's prefab Work Space Cabin is designed for working from anywhere

A slanted window punctures the charred-wood walls of this sculptural office designed by prefab housing designers Koto.

The British company, which designs and manufactures modular, prefabricated cabins, created Work Space Cabin as the first in a series with the New Art Centre gallery in England.

It said the aim was to disrupt the typical notions of suitable places to work. In this design, Koto drew on the gallery's sculpture park surroundings to imagine a workspace suited to a remote, natural landscape.

"We want to disrupt how we see the conventional work office and have created a truly inspiring space that enhances the landscape giving people privacy with direct access to nature," said Koto founding partner Zoe Little.

There is just one huge window that provides both views out to the gardens as well as plenty of natural light inside.

Work Space Cabin's walls are slanted and pointed making an irregular shape – an idea that Koto came up with to reference the New Art Centre's sculptural works.

"Inside the wooden sculpture, light is refracted from many angles of the structure to evoke a sense of shelter and warmth" said Koto founding partner Theo Dales.

The prefab timber walls are charred black using the Japanese process of Shou Sugi Ban, which is used to protect wood from weathering.

The Japanese aesthetics of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in perfection, can also be found elsewhere in the design, according to Koto.

"Wabi-sabi is the perfect remedy to today's hectic pace and obsession with perfectionism," Dales said.

Work Space Cabin, which is prefabricated and shipped as a module to site, will be followed by other structures for New Art Centre. The studio said each design will be available for use on- and off-grid, and at different prices.

It also imagines that the office cabins can be paired with other designs from its collection, like a series of Scandinavian-style modular one- to four-bedroom cabins that can be customised with add-ons such as saunas and outdoor showers.

Koto, which translates as cosy at home in Finnish, was founded in January 2018 by husband and wife duo Johnathon Little and Zoe Little.

It also recently teamed up with American builder Abodu to create a cabin-like ADU, or Accessory Dwelling Unit, that can be delivered to sites in San Jose, California in two weeks.

Photography is by Edvinas Bruzas.

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