This article is part of our Design special section about creating space with the look and feel for one person.

Ask any worker who has spent time in a cubicle: As collaborative (and thrifty) as open-plan offices may be, private spaces are crucial for a nurturing work environment.

“You want to bring people together, but people are uncomfortable being together too long,” said Nabil Sabet, the group director of M Moser Associates, a workplace architecture and design firm with offices worldwide. He says he believes that while work is a place for connection, areas where employees can find “full respite from everyone else” are important for wellness.

He added that spaces supporting solitary activities, including meditation and prayer, sweeten the transition back to the office after years of remote work. ”There has to be a magnetic pull,” he said. “Every company is dealing with the same thing.”

What follows are three recent projects that create buffers for workers, taking some stress out of the rat race and making it more like a … koi pond?

Womb Room

Holland Denvir, the founder of Denvir Enterprises, a brand consultancy in Los Angeles, transformed an office storage space measuring 6-by-11 feet into a shag-carpeted enclave known as the Womb Room. Seven years ago, when Mx. Denvir, who uses plural pronouns, worked as an interior designer, they would escape to their car to meditate during lunch — it was the only space that offered solitude when they wanted to decompress.