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Office on Wheels Update: Coroflot’s Preliminary Structure

Over the last ten days, the soon-to-be Coroflot office has transformed from a floor on wheels to, well, something that’s truly on it’s way to becoming an office.

Standing in front of the trailer, now with beams raised, a polished floor, and a panel of polycarbonate giving us a sense of what will become the walls, Laurence and I talked about the choice of “plastic walls.”

Having been “enamored with walls that let in light,” Laurence was keen on finding an affordable material to feed that enchantment, and polycarbonate was the answer. A material typically used to build greenhouses, Laurence was concerned the Coroflot team was headed for an office sauna of sorts. But after some research, we know the office will match the surrounding temperature, so for now, in the garage, the Coroflot office will be comfortable for everyone, not just cool season crops.

The build has been relatively quick, thanks in large part to the talented lead builder, Caleb Roach. The trailer is just 280 sq. feet, so each element of the build can usually be executed in a single day, whether it’s been flooring or raising the beams. So what’s next? Laurence is looking to finish cross-bracing exterior cladding and the roof (yes, all of this) in the next couple weeks.

As Laurence went through drawings and renderings, now in the shadow of an actual structure, it’s clear she’s developing this project and process with the idea that it’s a prototype—the first of many structures like this and one that can serve as a model going forward. She’s certainly discovering the build as it progresses, and that seems to offer both a challenge and a source of excitement and inspiration. And with excitement, she assures me her next drawings will be of the interior.

“I want to design a state of the art workplace environment. That’s where my head’s at right now.”

Check out Laurence’s design work here.

Written by Jeff Rutherford, originally for Hand-Eye Supply.