Netherlands-based architect and designer Sander Bokkinga has a pretty eclectic range of work from penthouse rabbit houses to the rather fine shedworking structure above, Jaap's kapelletje. I'm afraid my Dutch is awful so I can't tell you much more about it, although the images speak for themselves.
We featured Simon Conder's marvellous Vista earlier in the week and here is his Roof Top Conservatory (though I would argue for its shedlike qualities) in London. The client's budget was £15,000 and the goal was to link their top floor apartment to the roof terrace while also providing lots of light down below. Though it looks like glass, it's actually a cleverly flexible polycarbonate sheeting around a softwood frame.
This lovely rooftop shedworking space by Pulltab Design was designed as a spot for reading and entertaining. As they say:
"Designed as a living environment for all seasons, the penthouse allows for a reprieve from the busy nature of the city, while still connecting the owner to the wonderful and varied cityscape of the East Village."Photographs by Elizabeth Felicella.
Probably the most famous Poetry House is detailed in Lester Walker's seminal tome A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses and is owned by artist Carol Anthony. It's a 26 square ft converted outhouse, with deck, where she goes to work or simply relax. "Solitude is necessary nourishment for any creative process to begin," she says, describing the shedlike structure as "a small, intimate slice of prose but representative of the bigger conversation of what I'm all about." It's a lovely build and worth the price of the book in itself (well, just about).
Pictured above is an equally lovely example, The Poetry House by sculptor Bruce Johnson (do click - it's a marvellous website, full of gorgeous pictures and a great gong). Inspired by a poem by Elizabeth Carothers Herron, Johnson constructed this smashing building (redwood, copper) as an architectural sculpture inspired by a traditional Japanese teahouse (now on display at the Paradise Wood Sculpture Grove in Santa Rosa). Lines from Herron's poem have been transcribed onto both the interiors and exteriors of the building."The intention is to imbue this small quiet space with poetry," she says. "Bruce created a space for reflection, for slowing down, for being more thoughtful, and poetry epitomizes that state of mind." Johnson adds: ""So what is a poetry house? I have come to feel that it is the empty space where attention resides...like prayers in a prayer wheel the invisible text has resonance."
More of a shedrelaxing then strictly shedworking space, the Eye Pod at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska (now at the city's Science Museum as an outdoor exhibit), is nevertheless a rather lovely build. An entry in the Arboretum's Secret Gardens competition (inspired by the book), it's a walk-in camera obscura designed by the excellent Cermak Rhoades Architects and built with the collaboration of Frerichs Construction Company, Mattson Macdonald Yound Structural Engineers and Scherer Bros. Lumber.
A Bill Kratz spot.
The Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World is a marvellous organisation which aims to:
* develop new understandings through the work of contemporary artists which explores the social, environmental and scientific issues involved in our changing relationship to nature.
* create new art and art practice by supporting artists to respond to the wider historical and cultural constructions of 'nature'.
* increase access to the contemporary arts by breaking down barriers to public engagement.
From April 26 until July 13, they'll be running their annual Timber Talent South West: Architecture for the 21st Century exhibition (free admission) as part of their year-long Wood Culture festival which celebrates all things woodish.Timber Talent features 16 inspiring recent examples of the use of timber in contemporary architecture. As an example of what you can expect, here's the Rolling Summer House by Charlie Whinney from the wonderful but sadly no longer with us sixixis which created "unique and exciting pieces using local unseasoned timber". It appeared in the exhibition two years ago. Their web site is still up however and well worth a browse.
Thanks to Annie Leymarie for the alert.
As we've said before, you don't need a garden for a nice shedlike structure. Here's an example of a 350 square foot rooftop pavilion from Paul Cha as part of a project transforming a pied-a-terre in Manhattan. The pavilion is on top of an East Village townhouse with rather spectacular views. Here's what they say about it:
"Similar to the Chinese garden pavilion typology, where a structure is intricately located within a man made landscape by sensitive visual vistas and spatial movements, the terrace pavilion is perceived as a refuge above the surrounding cityscape. The structure consisting of folding planes of simple wood framing with tilted slats as infill, filters vistas of the surrounding skyline and provides shading from the sun. The pavilion inspires silence and reflection, purifying thought and the senses within, as a calming oasis above the chaotic cityscape surrounding it."
A good spot from Bill Kratz.
Now here's a thing of beauty and a joy forever, a tea house and meditation place from Howard Alan Architects, initially intended to be merely a storehouse, the client decided to change towards a more shedworkingish atmosphere during the build. The steel frame is fixed to concrete piers with white oak for floor, deck and stair. A nice touch is the copper cap (pictured below) which has a finial of dental mirrors to reflect light.
A Bill Kratz spot.
Something lovely for the weekend - the Weedon Pavilion (AIA Vermont Excellence in Architecture Award) by Gossens Bachman, a semi-enclosed structure at the pond edge for reading, napping, meditation and wildlife viewing as well as serving as a "launch platform" for boating and swimming on the pond. GB say: "The structure was to be honest in material and craft and a reflection of the client's interest in Japanese design."
Thanks to Bill Kratz.
Francis Bacon lived and worked in a small converted coachhouse in London - the ground floor was essentially a large garage in which Bacon stored pretty much anything and on the first floor was his studio where he stored pretty much everything, photos, images torn from newspapers, catalogues, canvases, painting materials, trousers, etc. Bacon recognised it was chaos but found it inspiring. The entire contents, now archived by archaeologists, is now on view at the Hugh Lane Gallery.
Ohio-based Custom Roof Thatch do just that, thatch anything, anywhere (in the US) including garden offices and other shedlike atmospheres. Lots of great examples on their web site.
It's a commonplace that shedworkers need compact solutions and they don't come much more compact than this marvellous design by Kevin Fawley, built for Tom Monteyne's "Business Studio" (Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba). Called HUT (Habitat for the Urban Tribe), Kevin describes it as "a portable storage unit which comes apart to furnish a living room set with two chairs, a loveseat, coffee table and shelf. It facilitates and ritualizes the nomadic nature of the urban tribe."
Pictured above is how it looks all packed up. Pictured below is what it looks like all unpacked. Marvellous. 
Two delightful shedworking boxes today. First the Eclipse Desk by Marcus Ward Curran which includes a desk, a chair, a hooded pod, speakers and wheels. This great video below shows it in all its glory.
Or how about the Battle-Rig Pro (above) from Master Rig which comes in red and black, or silver and black. It's aimed at gamers but you could work at it too. According to their site, they're working on a specific office rig which should be available soon.
Via Yanko Design and Trendhunter
I love the dazzle shed from Elenberg Fraser in Carlton Victoria (picture by Kate Gollings). It's a backyard shed which houses various gardening paraphenalia. This is what the architects say about it:
"The shed had to be marvelous but still invisible and discreet. Sited in the corner of the garden at the rear of an old converted fire station, it was constructed out of marine plywood and peg board, painted black and white and assembled by a theatre set company. The optical illusion of the dazzle pattern tricked the viewer in thinking the facade was flat. The discreet camouflage was a success. The quest is to find the front door."
Now this is what I call a shedworking atmosphere, as featured on Uncle Wilco's shedblog and readersheds. These are the offices of van der Architects in Tokyo and this is how owner Martin van der Linden describes them:
"For our new office we took a house in a residential area in the centre of Tokyo. We wanted to make sure that we would not end up with a feeling of being in "an office". We wanted to create a work environment that expresses what we do, we are architects, we creative, unusual and imaginative. We sent Nanako, one of our designers house hunting. As most houses in Japan only have a 20-30 year life space we wanted to see if we could salvage an old house and re-use the wood for our sheds. Nanako found a 40 year old house that was about to be torn down. We then asked the demolition company to give us the wood and interior door frames to re-use."
Martin also writes a blog Work Vitamins.
A lovely design from Accrington-based Altham Oak and Carpentry which while not strictly a shedworking atmosphere (it currently houses a mower, croquet kit and other gardening odds and ends), could easily be rejigged to provide a lovely garden office. They describe the appearance as 'a Door with a Halo' and a 'Work of Art' rather than a shed. The sedum green roof is circular and shaped so that water drains off through a channel and short wooden spout.
Altham's green credentials are impressive: the business was started to encourage the use of underused timber in the UK to combat the destruction of virgin forests abroad. They also claim to pay a better price to foresters for relatively unwanted parts or their harvest to encourage sustainable management of British oak plantations. Through local conservation groups and customers, Altham aims to sponsor the planting of 10 new trees for every one they process. 
Regular readers will know that Shedworking is a sucker for shedlike atmospheres which revolve. West Sussex-based Norton Garden Structures have a couple of examples on their site, revolving octagonal summerhouses built in Western Red Cedar with a cedar shingle roof.
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