An integrated pulley system allows items to be hoisted up and down around this workstation by Italian design graduate Micaela Nardella (+ slideshow).
Micaela Nardella was influenced by the movement of industrial cranes and lifts when designing the wooden structure, which is intended to be wheeled over an existing desk.
CRANE-IT features a series of hanging platforms with perforations and nets that can hold books, pens, coffee cups or plants.
The platforms can be lifted up and down using the spinning wheels on the side of the structure, creating a dynamic workspace that can be adapted to suit different activities.
"The project creates an innovative overhead experience by featuring different textures, densities and by expanding or shrinking the space underneath the structure," explains Nardella.
All the pulleys, ropes and handles are deliberately over-scaled so that the working mechanisms of the structure become the main feature.
The apparatus can be used as a single module or combined with additional units to form a larger arrangement for several people.
CRANE-IT was presented earlier this month at the Post-Port exhibition in Rotterdam, a showcase of work by graduates from the Piet Zwart Institute.
Other adaptable workstations we've featured on Dezeen include a writing desk with sliding storage compartments that can be pulled out and rearranged.
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Here's a project description from the designer:
CRANE-IT is a vertical moving machine on wheels to be located over an existing workstation. The wooden structure and its pulley systems add functional quality and new levels of spatial use to an ordinary desk.
Inspired by the mechanisms of harbour cranes and warehouse industrial lifts, the project translates their moving technique into the design of a new spatial organization. Different functional elements are suspended above head level and each set of systems controls the relocation of one component; objects would move up and down by spinning the wheels placed on the structure.
Every component of the vertical motion is exposed and over-scaled so that pulleys, ropes and handles become the main feature of the project.
This apparatus features a group of hanged surfaces: from extra space for pens or coffee cups to a small comfortable cushion for a short break. Net hangers, book holder and temporary partitions are added on a conventional work place. CRANE-IT stands as a singular active module that adapts to the necessities of one person. It can also be positioned in a multiplied spatial arrangement for a larger and lively working area, suitable for more users.
The project creates an innovative overhead experience by featuring different textures, densities and by expanding or shrinking the space underneath the structure. This new machine proposes a dynamic approach to work areas, where the continuous movement opens up for adaptability.