It is March 2020. We are all living the same day, in the same space, with the same people. Each day blends into the next with no definitive end to look forward to.

DEX is a speculative architectural project I worked on in collaboration with my friend and architect Aishwarya Sriram. In this uncertain and unprecedented time, we sought to find new ways to bring excitement and purpose to our daily lives. DEX was born out of this desire to break free from the sameness of lockdown. The following excerpt and imagery are what we fantasised about while being cooped up at home.

Imagine you’re in Pondicherry, lying on the beach, as you put the finishing touches on your presentation for the next day. You can smell the salty ocean breeze, and hear seagulls in the distance. You wrap up your work, close down your device — “Pack up, Dex”, and you’re back in a room bustling with people. You’ve just worked for three hours straight to the gentle lull of the ocean, all the while sitting in your office.

Dex is a remote-working concept like none before. As the world around us changes, it has become evident that businesses, particularly those that rely on digital tools, can and must make themselves as adaptable as possible to changing and unprecedented scenarios. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has made this clearer than ever before. Workspaces of the future need to move outside the stringent boundaries of a traditional office.

Dex offers an innovative solution, created from the confluence of science, art, and life itself. It offers optimised and conducive environments for work, that one can tap in and out of, to productively and comfortably work in.

Through the use of AI and VR technology, Dex can project any globally-mapped surroundings within it, and can control sensory experiences. Inside this futuristic setup, a custom physical and virtual workspace is built for you. Dex takes you to your ideal work environment, whether that is under the Sistine ceiling, or a pure white vacuum, away from the din of everyday reality.

You can project a completely different environment, or just augment the one you’re already in. Renting a dimly-lit studio apartment in the middle of winter? Enter Dex, and have your surroundings brightened to your liking, the temperature lowered, Charles Aznavour playing in the background and have the whole space smell like a linen-scented candle.

An environment can act as a catalyst for inspiration, and can elevate the work you do. Whether your goal is to maximise productivity, create fulfilling work, or you just need to visit your Emperor Penguin friends in the Antarctic during working hours, Dex has your back.

With Dex, the world is literally your oyster.