One thing we’ve noticed across recent public sector projects is that private space is becoming a much bigger part of the conversation.

Universities are looking for places where students can access wellbeing support, join online appointments or study without distraction. Libraries are supporting a growing mix of digital services and remote learning. Healthcare organisations need spaces for confidential conversations and virtual consultations, while local authorities continue to adapt to hybrid working and changing user expectations.

Although the environments themselves are very different, many of the challenges are the same. How do you create spaces that support collaboration while recognising that people sometimes need privacy? How do you provide somewhere for focused work, quiet study or sensitive conversations without changing the character of the wider environment?

As demand for Accessible Meeting Pods and enclosed meeting spaces continues to grow across education, healthcare and government settings, it’s important they’re designed to work for the widest possible range of users.

That’s one of the reasons the Framery Four Accessible stood out to the Showcase PSR team.

In a market where privacy and acoustics are often the primary focus, what impressed us was the thinking behind the product. The Framery Four Accessible has clearly been designed around a wider question: how can those same benefits be made available to more people without compromise?

Why Accessible Meeting Pods Matter in Public Sector Spaces

The growing demand for private space reflects the changing role of public sector environments.

Many buildings are expected to support a broader range of services, users and activities than they were originally designed for. University libraries now provide spaces for study, wellbeing support and online learning. Healthcare environments balance patient-facing services, administration and virtual consultations. Local authorities continue to adapt workplaces to support both public services and hybrid working.

As these expectations evolve, people need greater choice in how they use a space.

We’ve found that the most successful environments provide options. They allow people to move between collaborative and private settings depending on what they’re trying to achieve. Sometimes that means working with others. At other times it means finding somewhere to focus, access support services, take part in a virtual appointment or have a confidential conversation.

This is where Accessible Meeting Pods are becoming increasingly relevant. They offer a practical way to introduce privacy and flexibility without major structural changes, while supporting a broader range of user needs.

The Framery Four Accessible is a good example of this shift. Rather than viewing privacy and accessibility as separate considerations, it brings them together within a single space that can support focused work, meetings, virtual calls and wellbeing conversations.

Inclusive Design Starts With Understanding People

When accessibility is discussed, attention often focuses on physical access to a building. Entrances, lifts, circulation routes and facilities are all important considerations, particularly within public sector environments.

However, accessibility goes far beyond getting somebody through the door.

For us, inclusive design begins with understanding the people who will use a space and considering their needs from the very beginning of the design process. Rather than designing for a single type of user, it’s about creating environments that can support as many people as possible.

That may involve wheelchair access, manoeuvrability and circulation space, but it can also include considerations around neurodiversity, sensory sensitivities, hearing impairments, temporary injuries, fatigue, anxiety and the confidence to use a space independently.

For many people, accessibility isn’t simply about whether they can enter a space. It’s about whether they can comfortably use it once they’re there.

Government statistics show that 24% of working-age adults aged 16 to 64 are classified as disabled, reinforcing the importance of creating environments that support a diverse range of users.

The best examples of inclusive design often don’t draw attention to themselves. They simply create experiences that feel intuitive, comfortable and welcoming.

It’s one of the reasons the Framery Four Accessible resonated with our team. Many of its design decisions focus not just on access, but on how people experience the space once they’re inside it. That distinction is often where good accessibility becomes great user experience.

Why Choice Matters in Open-Plan Environments

One thing we’ve seen consistently across education, healthcare and local government projects is that people experience the same environment in very different ways.

Open-plan spaces can be highly effective for collaboration, communication and creating a sense of community. However, they don’t always work equally well for everyone.

For some users, challenges may be physical. Furniture layouts, circulation routes and restricted manoeuvring space can impact comfort and independence.

For others, challenges may be sensory. Background conversations, visual distractions, constant movement and unpredictable noise levels can make it more difficult to concentrate, participate confidently or feel comfortable in a space.

This is particularly relevant when considering neurodiversity.

Increasingly, organisations are recognising that people process information, interact with their surroundings and respond to sensory stimulation differently. Something that feels energising and collaborative for one person may feel overwhelming and distracting for another.

We regularly speak to clients who want to support concentration, wellbeing and inclusion without losing the benefits of collaborative environments.

The answer is rarely to eliminate open-plan spaces altogether. More often, it’s about creating greater choice.

Providing access to different settings allows people to choose the environment that best supports the task they’re undertaking and how they work most effectively.

This is where Accessible Meeting Pods can provide real value. Pods such as the Framery Four Accessible offer an alternative environment when users need greater privacy, reduced distraction or more control over their immediate surroundings, while still remaining connected to the wider workplace or learning environment.

Designing Around People, Not Products

One of the aspects we value most about public sector design is the diversity of people who use the environments we create.

A university may need to support students, lecturers, visitors and wellbeing teams. Healthcare organisations often serve employees, patients, carers and specialist providers. Libraries and civic buildings welcome people from a broad range of backgrounds, ages and abilities.

The result is that there is rarely a single solution that works for everyone.

When our designers begin developing a brief, conversations about privacy often lead into wider discussions around accessibility, inclusion, wellbeing and user experience. A client may initially be looking for additional meeting space, but the discussion quickly expands to consider independent access, acoustic comfort, confidential conversations, sensory considerations and how a space feels to use.

Those conversations often lead to the best outcomes.

As an independent consultancy with access to more than 460 suppliers, we’re not restricted to a single manufacturer or product range. That allows us to focus on finding solutions that are genuinely right for the brief and, more importantly, for the people who’ll use them every day.

As Senior Designer Fernanda Espidio explains:

“For us, it starts with the people who’ll be using the space every day. We take the time to listen, understand the end user’s needs and involve them in the design process. The best solutions come from working with the people they’re designed for. By engaging users from the outset, we can help remove barriers and create spaces that work for as many people as possible. At the end of the day, we want people to feel comfortable, safe, supported and genuinely welcomed in the environment around them.”

That thinking has shaped projects across the education sector.

At Arden University, end-user engagement sessions informed flexible furniture layouts, adaptable learning environments and focused study areas that supported a range of learning styles. Accessibility, wellbeing and inclusivity were considered alongside functionality from the outset.

Similarly, at London South Bank Technical College’s STEAM Centre, the completed environment incorporated colour-zoned learning areas to support wayfinding, ergonomic furniture and adaptable teaching spaces designed around different learning styles and sensory needs.

In both cases, the focus extended beyond furniture selection. It centred on creating environments that genuinely worked for the people using them.

It’s also why products such as the Framery Four Accessible are interesting in the context of public sector projects. Rather than approaching accessibility as a compliance exercise, the design reflects many of the same considerations that emerge through user engagement sessions: independence, comfort, confidence and choice.

Inclusive Design in Practice

The reason the Framery Four Accessible stood out to us isn’t because it’s simply an accessible version of an existing meeting pod.

It’s because many of the design decisions align with the principles of inclusive design we’ve discussed throughout this article.

For somebody using a wheelchair, features such as the low threshold, T-shaped turning space, folding furniture and 180-degree door opening can make a significant difference to how independently and comfortably the pod can be used.

For somebody who is neurodivergent, the benefits may be different. Class A soundproofing, speech privacy, sound masking and greater control over the immediate environment can help reduce distractions and create a more comfortable setting for focused work or sensitive conversations.

For another user, it may simply provide a private place to access wellbeing support, join a virtual consultation or have a confidential discussion away from the distractions of a busy shared space.

What matters is that the same space is capable of supporting different needs without creating separate experiences for different people.

That’s often where inclusive design is at its most effective.

A Wider Shift Towards Inclusive Design

One of the most encouraging developments we’ve seen across recent projects is the way accessibility is increasingly being discussed as part of good design.

Clients are asking more thoughtful questions. They want to understand how spaces will feel to different users, whether they can be used independently and how they support wellbeing alongside functionality.

Those conversations tend to produce better outcomes because they focus on people’s experiences rather than minimum requirements.

That’s ultimately why the Framery Four Accessible stood out to the Showcase PSR team.

Rather than asking whether somebody can physically access a private space, it considers how that space works once they’re inside it.

As Accessible Meeting Pods become increasingly common across universities, healthcare environments, libraries and workplaces, that perspective becomes more important than ever.

Accessibility, privacy, technology and user comfort don’t need to compete with one another. When they’re considered together from the outset, the result is a better experience for more people.

And ultimately, that’s what good design has always been about.

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