Project Team: Steffan Cross, Eric Dell’Orco, Tina Piracci, Ben Taube.
Course: Bending and Folding Structures, Fall 2019
isoDome is a deployable acoustic pod for open-plan offices. Inspired by origami folding patterns, the concept for isoDome came as a solution to the number one source of dissatisfaction from occupants in open-plan offices: sound privacy. Research shows that among all factors of indoor environmental quality, users are least satisfied with the acoustics of their spaces. We wanted to create a solution to this problem that can be seamlessly integrated into virtually any office design. In its folded state, isoDome hangs from the ceiling and passively works as an acoustic sound baffle. It is constructed using a variety of acoustic materials to absorb office sounds. The geometry created by the folding pattern reflects sound waves within itself to further attenuate the sound. If users want to have an impromptu meeting or create a quiet space for focused work, isoDome can be deployed, creating a pod large enough to accommodate 4-6 people seated around a table, providing both visual and acoustic privacy from the rest of the office. Integrated lighting illuminates the newly created workspace inside.
isoDome provides users with a flexible, on-demand option to modify their workspace to meet their needs. Private offices and conference rooms are expensive to build, permanent, and occupy valuable floor space all the time even if they are only used intermittently. isoDome is easily hung from a conventional ceiling and it doesn’t take up any floor space when it is in its folded state. By combining layers of acoustic materials, isoDome specifically targets frequencies of sound that are within the range of the human voice to create an environment where users have privacy and are free of distraction from the rest of the office.
Jacobs Winter Design Showcase 2019 at Jacobs Hall. Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering.