What a library uses them for
Calls and online lectures. Students can join a seminar, an interview or a video call without leaving the library or disturbing silent study.
Group work. Short bursts of discussion stay contained, instead of spilling into quiet areas.
A quieter place to work. Some students find open study areas hard to work in, and a pod gives them somewhere calmer without leaving the building.
Pods, booths or a new room
Not every quiet space needs a fully enclosed pod.
Enclosed acoustic pods suit calls and private conversations. High-backed privacy booths with a writing tablet give one student a quieter seat in less floor space, and for less money. Booth seating for four to six keeps group work contained on a busy floor.
Building a study room is still the right answer where it will be booked all day. Pods suit spaces that may need to change.
How King’s College London used them
At King’s College London’s Franklin-Wilkins and IoP libraries, we worked with the Learning & Teaching Space Improvement Board to create multifunctional study space: expanded silent study, social seating for group work, bookable study rooms, meeting pods and quiet areas with information hubs.
Students now have a choice of where and how to work. Installation was phased over the summer to keep disruption to a minimum.
What to check before you order
Acoustics. Ask for the tested figure. “Soundproof” on its own means very little.
Ventilation. In the single pods we supply, the air is fully exchanged every minute.
Fire rating. Libraries are public buildings, and some upholstery fabrics are low hazard as standard. They can be treated to medium hazard, so check what your estates team requires.
Access. A one-person pod is about one square metre, so plan at least one larger, step-free pod for wheelchair users.
Floor loading. A single pod weighs 212kg and a meeting pod up to 556kg, which counts on upper library floors.
Power, booking and cleaning. Students bring laptops and phones, so check sockets and USB charging, and decide how pods will be booked and cleaned before they arrive.
Installed around term, and moved later
A single pod installs in under an hour and a meeting pod in about three, so nothing needs to close. We include a site survey before any pod is specified, covering floor loading, the access route, power and where students will actually use it. There is more on planning work around term dates in our guide to what fits in a half-term.
Pods aren’t fixed to the floor, so they can be taken down and rebuilt elsewhere when a library is reorganised. When a pod is no longer needed in one place, the greenest option is usually to move it, not buy another.
The manufacturers we work with
We’re not a pod manufacturer. We specify, supply and install pods and booths from Framery, Senator, Berlin Acoustic, JDD, Workagile and Soundbox, and choose between them for the space.
Single pods start from £4,800 before delivery and installation. Full prices, sizes and lead times are in our acoustic pod buyer’s guide.
If you’re planning changes to a library or study space, we’ll survey it and tell you where pods would help, and where they wouldn’t.
