Space Race

As the cost of urban real estate continues to rise, the need to use space efficiently and effectively is more important than ever.

That’s where Goodwin client Ori has set its sights, designing intelligent, responsive products that reimagine living spaces for the next generation. Ori combines clever design with robotic technology to maximize how people use their space. From beds that descend from the ceiling to closets that expand and contract like an accordion, Ori is deploying new proptech to help people live more efficiently.

Ori’s focus on enabling residents to use only the space they need, when they need it, will ensure better utilization of scarce land and resources, and a dramatically improved and responsive living experience. It’s becoming increasingly important when roughly 95 percent of the population lives on 10 percent of earth’s land.

Based in Boston, Ori was founded in 2015 by Hasier Larrea, a graduate of MIT’s Robotics Lab. In September 2019, Ori announced it had raised $20 million in new funding from sources that include Sidewalk Labs and Ingka Group, a strategic partner to the IKEA franchisee system and the largest franchisee to operate under the IKEA brand. Goodwin has advised Ori on general corporate, financing, licensing and related matters since 2017.

Ori also has a creative partnership with IKEA, and the two companies jointly developed Rognan, a unit that combines a bed with closets, shelves, a desk and a couch, all of which can expand and contract depending on the user’s needs.

Ori’s current collection of robotic interior products includes the Studio Suite, the Pocket Closet and the Cloud Bed, which will be commercially available in 2020. Ori’s products, all of which enable the transformation of space with the touch of a button or voice command, can be found in more than 30 projects located in major cities across the United States. Moving forward, Ori plans to broaden its focus beyond creating products and systems to partnering with architects and builders on designing urban housing and spaces that are flexible, intelligent, sustainable and affordable.

“At Ori we see interior space differently; we’re challenging the centuries-old view that the functionality is linearly related to the amount of available physical space,” Larrea said.