Symbiosis Desk System

A modular desk and divider system designed to bring privacy, flexibility, and plant life into open office environments. A 10-week project with sustainable design firm MIO tested a softer alternative to the standard office partition. The project looks at the office as an environment that has to be maintained, adapted, and inhabited — not just divided.

Ideation

Explored different forms, construction methods, materials, and levels of complexity before arriving at the final modular system.

Selected hexagonal blocks in two sizes and two types, plus a dedicated water reservoir module. Used a passive wicking system to keep watering minimal and reduce mess, while requiring plants suited to that style of care.

Scale

Tested module sizes for visual balance, modular flexibility, and practical use.

Estimated the weight of the largest units when filled with soil and water to keep the system manageable and structurally reasonable.

Built a cardboard scale model to test the visual rhythm and spatial presence of the modules before moving further into detail development.

Details

Developed a universal locking mechanism that connects modules without interfering with the exposed faces using standard U-channel extrusion.

Combined two materials with off-the-shelf hardware, using a consistent channel direction to keep fabrication and assembly predictable.