FocusPod Solo™
FocusPod Solo Plus™
FocusPod Duo™
FocusPod Team™
FocusPod Meet™
FocusPod Max™Air Conditioned Office Pods
Air conditioning
For pods that sit where the sun does.
Ventilation handles air quality. Air conditioning handles temperature. In New Zealand those are two different problems.
An air conditioned office pod adds active cooling on top of the standard ventilation system. Every FocusPod already moves 70 to 327 m³ of air per hour and changes the internal air every 1.6 to 2.4 minutes, which handles air quality. The air conditioning unit handles temperature, which is a different problem — and in New Zealand conditions, against west-facing glazing or in a Queensland summer, it is the one that decides whether a pod gets used in February. The unit is $2,875 ex GST.
Ventilation and cooling are not the same thing
The distinction that decides thisThis is the point almost every pod supplier blurs, ours included until we started installing into Queensland summers.
Ventilation exchanges air. It manages carbon dioxide, humidity and staleness, and it is what stops a sealed booth becoming unpleasant within twenty minutes. Every FocusPod does this as standard, moving 70 m³ per hour in a Solo up to 327 m³ in a Max, with the internal air fully changed every 1.6 to 2.4 minutes.
Air conditioning changes temperature. It is a different mechanism doing a different job. If the air being drawn into the pod is already 28 degrees, exchanging it faster does not cool anything — it just moves warm air around more efficiently.
A pod in a temperature-controlled office in Wellington almost never needs cooling. A pod against west-facing glazing in Christchurch in February is a different conversation, and it is worth having before the pod is on the floor rather than after.
When you actually need it
Five situationsWest-facing glazing
The most common cause by a distance. Afternoon sun through a window onto a sealed enclosure, and the pod is warmest exactly when it is most used.
Queensland, NT and northern WA
Ambient conditions where the building itself is working hard. If your office air conditioning struggles in February, a pod inside it will too.
Warehouses and industrial sites
Often uncooled, frequently metal-roofed, and the pod is usually the only conditioned space anyone has. This is where AC stops being optional.
Long occupancy
A fifteen-minute call generates little heat. A person plus two monitors for four hours in a sealed box generates a surprising amount.
Four to six people
Each occupant is roughly a 100 watt heat source. A full Meet or Max in a warm room warms up faster than people expect.
When you don't need it
A pod in a climate-controlled office, away from direct sun, used for calls rather than full days. That is most installations, and standard ventilation handles it.
What the unit is
Specification| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Price | $2,875 ex GST, fitted |
| Available on | All six models, Solo through Max |
| Works with | The standard ventilation system, not instead of it. Both run |
| Power | Still a single standard 240V 10A outlet. No dedicated circuit, no electrician |
| Plumbing | None. Condensate is managed internally, nothing drains into the building |
| Building work | None. The pod remains freestanding furniture, so no approval is needed |
| Retrofit | Possible, but the roof module has to be opened. Cheaper and cleaner at time of order |
Order it with the pod if there is any doubt. Retrofitting is the single most common regret we hear, and it is entirely avoidable — the cost of specifying it up front on a pod that turns out not to need it is far lower than the cost of adding it to one that does.
Standard ventilation, for comparison
What every pod already does| Model | Airflow | Air change | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 0–70 m³/h | ~1.6 min | 1 person |
| Solo Plus | 0–110 m³/h | ~2.3 min | 1 person |
| Duo | 0–110 m³/h | ~2.3 min | 2 people |
| Team | 0–110 m³/h | ~2.3 min | 2 people |
| Meet | 0–218 m³/h | ~2.2 min | 4 people |
| Max | 0–327 m³/h | ~2.4 min | 6 people |
Ventilation also runs a five-minute exchange every thirty minutes when the pod is empty, so it is fresh when the next person opens the door. More detail on the ventilation page.
Ventilation, on every pod
Roof-mounted fans with air channels through the floor and roof modules, so air moves through the space rather than around it. Adjustable, and it cycles when the booth is empty.
Air conditioning, where it is warm
Active cooling on top of the ventilation. Specified most often on pods against glazing, in warehouses, and anywhere north of about Christchurch.
The rest of the range
Every model can have it
Solo
Calls and deep focus. Fits where a desk would go.
- Exterior
- 1080 × 1000 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 942 × 960 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~1.0 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Solo Plus
One person with room to move. Dual monitors, long sessions.
- Exterior
- 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~2.2 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Duo
Two-person calls, pair work and one-to-ones.
- Exterior
- 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~2.2 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Team
Two people, long and narrow. Sits against a wall where a square pod cannot.
- Exterior
- 2300 × 966 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 2162 × 926 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~2.2 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Meet
A real meeting room. Client meetings and video calls.
- Exterior
- 2300 × 1785 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 2162 × 1745 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~4.1 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Max
Boardroom and workshops without building a boardroom.
- Exterior
- 2600 × 2605 × 2338 mm
- Interior
- 2462 × 2565 × 2146 mm
- Floor
- ~6.77 m²
- Acoustic
- Up to 30 dB · Class A
Common questions
Asked by real buyersDo office pods need air conditioning?
Not usually. Standard ventilation moves 70 to 327 m³ of air per hour depending on model and changes the internal air every 1.6 to 2.4 minutes, which handles air quality and stops a pod going stuffy. Air conditioning is about temperature, and it matters when the pod sits somewhere that already runs hot — west-facing glazing, a top floor, a warehouse, or a Queensland or Northern Territory summer.
How much does the air conditioning unit cost?
$2,875 ex GST, fitted to the pod. It is available on any model and is much better specified at the time of order than retrofitted later.
Do office pods get hot?
They can, in the wrong position. A sealed enclosure with glazing on one side, occupied by a person and their laptop, gains heat. In a temperature-controlled office in a mild climate that is rarely noticeable. Against a west-facing window in a Christchurch February it is very noticeable by three in the afternoon.
Is ventilation the same as cooling?
No, and it is the most common misunderstanding about pods. Ventilation exchanges air, which manages carbon dioxide, humidity and staleness. If the air being drawn in is already 28 degrees, exchanging it faster does not make the pod cooler. Cooling requires refrigeration.
Can air conditioning be added to a pod later?
Yes, but it is more disruptive and more expensive than specifying it up front, because the roof module has to be opened up. If there is any chance the position runs warm, order it with the pod.
Does the air conditioning need plumbing or a condensate drain?
No plumbing and no drain into the building. The unit is self-contained and manages condensate internally, which is part of why a pod stays classified as furniture rather than building work.
Does it still run from a normal power point?
Yes. Adding the unit increases the power draw but the pod still runs from a single standard 240V 10A outlet. No dedicated circuit and no electrician.
Which pods can have air conditioning?
All six models, from the one-person Solo to the six-person Max. Larger pods with more occupants generate more heat, so it is specified more often on the Meet and Max.
See how standard ventilation works, every add-on priced, or the full range. In a warm climate? The Christchurch and Queensland pages cover positioning in Queensland conditions.
Not sure whether you need it?
Tell us where the pod is going — which way the glazing faces, what floor, how many people and for how long. We will tell you honestly whether the standard ventilation covers it.