Post Office Pod | CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati unveils Post Office Pod: Working from Everywhere, a modular system for outdoor workspaces that blurs the lines between nature, public infrastructure, and work life. Created by a diverse team that includes sociologist Richard Florida, landscape architect Anna Maria Scaravella, climate comfort expert Marialena Nikolopoulou, urban innovator Rohan Silva, and engineering firm Recchi, this project premiered at the Biennale Architettura 2025. Supported by Italy’s postal authority, the pods will be replicated across Italy after the exhibition, contributing to Poste Italiane’s Polis Project, which aims to reduce the urban-rural divide and transform post offices into hubs for innovation.

The Venice installation is a garden transformed into a workplace. Nine modular pods, each featuring a green roof, are set up within the Giardini della Biennale. Visitors can use these pods for everything from traditional laptop work to videoconferencing, meeting, napping, and even 3D printing. Think of it as a high-tech hammock: easy to deploy yet surprisingly versatile. 

Three of the nine pods in Venice are equipped with 3D printers, which make advanced manufacturing more accessible and sustainable. While some American cities are left with vacant office space following the COVID-19 pandemic, others are reimagining what it means to “work” in a city. These empty spaces have untapped potential. The dynamic is clear: we can revive cities by rethinking both design and craft, unlocking the local production potential that helps build resilient communities.

Thermal comfort was a key consideration in designing the pods: thermal mass and rooftop greenery help cool the space, while plants cascade down the sides, forming a green shield against the sun. Solar panels and a water collection system complete the setup, creating a sustainable environment. It is like having nature as an office assistant.

After their debut in Venice, the pods will find new homes in Italy’s 7,000 post offices as part of Poste Italiane’s Polis Project. The goal is to revitalize small towns and villages, bridging the urban-rural divide. These pods are part of a larger initiative to rethink public spaces and create places where communities can thrive. With modularity at its core, this project is flexible and can be adapted to various local settings.

“At a time when workers demand more flexibility, companies need creative solutions, and cities must rethink public spaces, the integration of outdoor workspaces is not just a niche trend,” says Richard Florida, urban studies theorist and Professor at the University of Toronto. “It’s a necessity. If the office as we knew it is no longer enough, then the next logical step is to look beyond the office altogether.”

“This project embodies the Biennale Architettura’s ambition to be a ‘living lab’ for ideas that can be tested in Venice and then replicated elsewhere,” says Carlo Ratti, Founding Partner of CRA and Curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. “In this sense, the Post Office Pods embody what this Biennale stands for. After the exhibition, the pods will bring connectivity to rural areas, offering new ways in which public infrastructure can serve diverse communities.”

Post Office Pod builds on CRA’s legacy of reimagining public spaces and the future of work. The design is part of CRA’s ongoing experimentation with innovative workspaces, including the Open Innovation Center for Sella Group, the CapitaSpring skyscraper in Singapore, and the renovation of Oscar Niemeyer’s Palazzo Mondadori in Milan.

CREDITS

Post Office Pod: Working From Everywhere

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (Coordinator)

Recchi Engineering

Richard Florida

Marialena Nikolopoulou

Rohan Silva

Anna Maria Scaravella

Technical Collaborators

Matteo Leoni and Alessio Villani, Ferrinox (Technical Design and Construction); Michele Ferro, Riccardo Ferro, and Emanuele Caon, Studio Città (Technical Design and Construction); Anna Maria Scaravella (Landscape Architecture)

Team Members

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (Lead Design): Carlo Ratti, Andrea Cassi (Partner-in-Charge), Marco Conte, Gizem Veral, Maximo Molinelli, Xavier Pons Cussò, Andrea Spaccini, Iratxe De Dios; Recchi Engineering (Project Coordinators): Lorenzo Dei Poli, Oliviero Recchi

Supporters: Poste Italiane

Photos by: Antonio Guiotto