CHICAGO – Open-plan offices have been a trend in workplace design for years. A counter-trend has been smaller private spaces within the larger work area. A number of these private booths were on display at the recent NeoCon exhibition.

Framery is a Finnish technology startup that designs and manufactures soundproof phone booths and meeting pods for open-plan offices, and was one of the companies showing this product at NeoCon.

The company has two products, both are targeted to open-plan offices. The Framery O is a single-user phone booth. Framery Q is a meeting pod for up to four users.

Framery’s customers include a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft,  Deloitte, SAP, PWC and Procter & Gamble. The list also includes several rising technology companies: Uber, Cloudera, Yelp and Atlassian.

Noise distracts concentration and reduces efficiency. Framery’s phone booths and meeting pods are designed to offer a simple solution to the common problem. The company says that small silent workspaces are the next step in the evolution of the modern workplace which is transforming from the traditional open office to a more flexible and versatile working environment, so-called activity-based office.

Open, collaborative office spaces are the overwhelming megatrend in workplaces. The open-plan office saves money by reducing the real estate footprint. Open offices are also believed to increase a free-flowing exchange of ideas among employees. However, employees also need private spaces for phone and video calls, and silence to concentrate on demanding tasks.

Framery is the only company delivering office phone booths and meeting pods globally.  The booths are made in the assembly factory in Tampere, Finland. Currently, Framery has 70 employees. Roughly 100 more are planned to be hired in 2017. Framery O costs about $8000, and Framery Q about $17,000. Prices vary according to the interior design and location. Both products are made of Baltic birch plywood and several layers of various acoustic materials. They come with air ventilation, automatic LED lighting and electricity socket. See http://frameryacoustics.com.