Sheds in the Great Depression
With the financial and market meltdown one of two things may be happening: You are moving home to live with Mom, or you are mom or dad and the kids are moving back with you. In such circumstances it might be nice to have a place to get away to. That is one of the great selling points for garden sheds; they often do not need building permits, there is now a wide selection of them, and they are the gateway drug for modern prefab.
There is nothing new about working sheds; shepherds have used them forever.
Mark Twain had a writing hut; he called it "the loveliest study you ever saw octagonal with a peaked roof, each face filled with a spacious window perched in complete isolation on the top of an elevation that commands leagues of valley and city and retreating ranges of distant blue hills. It is a cozy nest and just room in it for a sofa, table, and three or four chairs, and when the storms sweep down the remote valley and the lighting flashes behind the hills beyond and the rain beats upon the roof over my head—imagine the luxury of it." ::Shedworking
The British are serious gardeners, so they needed serious garden sheds. Organic gardener Bob Flowerdew says ""The garden shed is man"s last refuge... and it"s my tranquil haven, the furthest away from the neighbours and my three-year-old twins, where I don"t have to be tidy or have a mobile phone with me. It"s not particularly modern, there is nothing glaringly new, no sharp corners or smell of fresh paint.... This shed is where I sort things out, make notes of what I will plant, and store and dry seeds. During the growing season I spend several hours a week in here; on warm summer nights I take my mattress and sleep out there. It"s like camping without the hassle." ::Shedworking
But the real genesis of the shed boom happened when Allison Arieff and Bryan Burkhart wrote the book PREFAB and Allison promoted modern prefab in Dwell Magazine. Suddenly everyone had a taste for instant modern. Unfortunately, not that many could afford it.
One of the first to recognize a niche for small, modern garden prefabs was California designer Edgar Blazona, who started selling the MD100 in 2004. He also built a larger, 280 Square foot version that you can see on TreeHugger: For Sale By Owner: MD280 Prefab Housing Unit
Another seminal shed was Werner Aisslinger"s LoftCube, seen in ads and movies around the world and now finally coming to America. ::Loftcube
Before long, everyone was into it; this Kithaus by Tom Sandonato and Martin Wehmann is available through Design Within Reach. It is a lovely, aluminum-framed design. ::Kithaus at Design Within Reach
There are good reasons why sheds are so popular. Adding on a room to a house is really expensive and disruptive, and doesn"t really let you get away. On the other hand, a shed can be stylistically different, can be installed temporarily, and can be a quick fix if you have a need for more space. Yoga, meditation or work, they provide a separate and different environment. Here is a review of some of the sheds we have shown on TreeHugger:
Next: English Sheds
English Sheds
"No concrete was used in the foundations, the building being supported on 10 galvanised steel mini-piles which were installed by hand. The roof is also galvanised steel from South Wales. On the face of it a steel roof might not seem the obvious sustainable choice, but with a high recycled content and being light, efficient and completely recyclable, steel scores well. Interior finishes are plasterboard and birch ply." ::Milton Studio by Cameron Scott
Ullmayer Sylvester Architects designed this summerhouse as a "seasonal hideaway for a hackney-based family of four. they all needed more and safe play space as the children are growing older. the new space should serve as a painter"s studio, garden shed, table tennis venue and sleep-over place. developing the somewhat neglected rear of their garden became and alternative to moving away into a larger property. ::Summerhouse by Ullmayer Sylvester Architects
Philip Simpson "wanted something that would enhance the user"s appreciation of the outdoors, from both inside and out." and sketched up the Orb (on backs of envelopes and restaurant napkins, of course.) Architect David Miller and interior design consultancy Real Studios polished it off. The Orb Has Landed
Ecospace Sheds are available in modular or "bespoke", built from sustainable timber and sit on an adjustable bearing shoe that minimizes site disturbance. We also like the green roof: "A planted green roof system is used which was developed in Germany over 25 years ago. The green roof is ecologically sound and aesthetically reduces visual impact of the studio. It is a low maintenance roof with plants well suited to cope with a full range of conditions. Species include mosses, succulents, herbaceous plants and grasses. The Bauder green roof has a high insulation performance." ::Ecospace Prefab Garden Studios
Energyspace builds "a state of the art workspace that makes a minimal or zero contribution to global climate change in every aspect of its design, construction, energy-use, and life cycle." They are super-insulated (hemp-cotton batts are an option), sited for passive solar gain but assisted by wood fired stoves and photovoltaics.
Next: North American Sheds
North American Sheds
Modern-Shed is equally at home as a good looking shed for tools, sports equipment, garage overflow or a fully equipped office with insulated walls and wall chases to run computer connections. The Modern-Shed comes in a variety of sizes and options, depending on the intended use. One of the most impressive things is that you can disassemble it and take it with you when you move! ::Modern-Shed Best Design at CA | Boom II
Ottawa, Canada is the second coldest capital city in the world, after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Not the kind of place that you would expect people to be building home offices in the back yard, but architect Kevin Deevey did. It is a simple, modern design with commercial aluminum window frames, dark exterior plywood and a bit of corrugated metal.::Kevin Deevey"s Backyard Home Office
The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company was started by Jay Schafer, after he decided to inhabit just 100 square feet. He wanted a house with a low environmental impact, and he didn"t want to maintain a lot of unused space. ::Tumbleweed Tiny House Company See also
Tiny Homes: The Next Little Thing
Woman happy living in 84 Square Foot Home
It"s a Small House After All
Next: Scandinavian and Vaporware Sheds
Scandinavian Sheds
A friggebod is a Swedish garden shed, a way of getting a little more space and a little more privacy. Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter have designed this little 100 square foot cabin/ office/ guest room prefab that is lovely to look at. ::Friggebod by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter
How green is your garden shed? This was the question that the young British Designer, Sy Willmer, asked himself during the final year of his MA design program at Göteborg University in Sweden. Taking the traditional garden shed motif found in many Northern European countries, known as a Friggebod in Swedish, Willmer looked at how this generic structure is typically used. From practical storage and work places, to quiet refuges and from humble huts to extravagant architectural garden monuments. ::Friggebod - The Traditional Garden Shed Made Green
Australian and Asian Sheds
"The Magic Box is a versatile "box" that changes the stereotypes of prefabricated houses and extension rooms by having qualities such as transparency and simplistic form with high versatility." ::The Magic Box
This one is truly elegant. Noek Design"s philosophy:
relate to nature;let it speak
simplify and reveal; discover the beauty
sustainable
adding value where possible
-words all designers could live by.
Deck_House: Small, Beautiful Prefab
Vaporware Sheds
I designed this shed, to be constructed essentially out of doors. The idea was that doors come in a thousand styles and materials, giving the customer lots of variety. The frame would be standard but one could choose from insulated, glass, screened, whatever door you wanted, to fill the panels.
Next: Shed Resources
More information on sheds:
Tips For Building a Green Garden Office
Shed Resources:
Alex Johnson writes an informative, funny and very useful website. He also has an extensive list of shed manufacturers in the US and UK, many more than we have covered on TreeHugger. My favourite source on the subject. ::Shedworking
Host of the shed design competition, with a Flickr resource of 1,222 photos. We Love Sheds
Not just about sheds, but has quite a few of them. ::Small House Style
There is nothing about design that Justin doesn"t cover, including sheds. ::Materialicous
Original article and pictures take http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/garden-shed-roundup.php site
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