H2Office - the floating home office

After various posts earlier in the month about the theoretical side of a floating office, Shedworking is very excited indeed to see that it's becoming a reality thanks to Cardiff-based H2Offices part of industrial design and marketing company WaterSpace Developments. Here's what owner Andrew Master says about it:

"Many new products come about because the inventor can't find anyone else making what he/she wants. So it was for our "floating offices" concept. I wanted a small workspace in the local area to use as a base for my business projects. After scouring the market all I could find were boring, depressing "concrete prisons"! Some of the landlords wanted me to sign long leases. Some would allow a shorter lease but the rents quoted were high."

The answer, especially for those who like boats, is the H2Office (see early concept sketch above), a "purposebuilt workspace for aquatic environments". As Andrew says: "If you're lucky enough to have flexible working arrangements a floating office could considerably enhance your working life."

The first model, which should be available in 2009, is set to look like this:
* a compact design giving enough space for one or two people to work in
* a "private" working area not overlooked by neighbours
* a "breakout" area for small meetings and meals
* a sun deck
* kitchenette
* marine toilet, shower & wet room
* foldaway bunks for occasional overnight stays
* plenty of storage space
* small tender "dock"/bathing platform (for an inflatable / kayak etc)
* dimensions suitable to be berthed on a standard marina (or similar) berth

Andrew is also compiling a list of locations where the site owner/manager would be happy to let you moor your H2Office.

There's also a just started up blog to keep an eye on.

H2Office - first model now being built

We're delighted to report that the first H2Office is now being built and should be ready sometime during the summer. Above, work on the plug for the hull mould. Below, measuring out the dimensions of the plug for the hull.More details at the Floating Offices web site.

H2Office - first model ready next month

Regular readers will remember that we've been following the build of the H2Office, a floating shedworking atmosphere built by WaterSpace. Sales director Steve Evans reports that the prototype is nearing completion in Cardiff and will be in the water by the end of August (you can see the progress here ). "We are now able to take orders for these units and expect some brisk trade due to some amazing feedback from both the UK & abroad," says Steve. "We have had interest from individual purchasers, boat brokers, marinas and inland waterways so far, as well as some off-the-wall enquiries, such as using the units as floating operating theatres in flood disaster areas."

H2Offices - floating office design updated

The H2Office design which we looked at last month is still being refined. Here are the latest images and for more go to the H2Office site here.

Live blogging: Guardian at the H2Office in Cardiff Marina

Hannah Waldram is at the new H2Office floating office in Cardiff Marina today and reporting on her thoughts on water-based shedworking for the Guardian. Here's a snippet:

12.43pm: I've actually got used to the slight sway of the office now. A family of ducklings floated past not long ago. According to director Steve, even when it's raining it's just as nice a place to work - unlike the patter of the rain you would hear on a caravan roof or boat - the GRP roof means the rain is inaudible from the inside and makes the view no less miserable.

Here's a video by floating officeworker Neil Cocker made this morning which sells it really well.

Thanks to Uncle Wilco for the alert


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Floating shedworking marinas

It's interesting to hear the latest news from H2Office on the back of my predictions for the future of shedworking: while their first floating office unit is getting close to completion, they are also now talking about the possibility of marina operators running a floating business park. According to Steve Evans at H2Offices this would:
* provide a turn-key solution for the development of a new income stream
* make use of under-utilised water (perhaps too shallow/inaccessible for boats)
* fill up empty berths with income-generating units
* offer office unit dimensions suitable for standard marina berths

Their future plans also include: a flotilla kitted out as luxury hotel rooms (a floatel); a tsunami relief and emergency hospital kit out (since it's transportable by Chinook); and a 'stand-alone' off-grid version for mooring away from power supplies and for remote locations. Indeed the H2Office team has been very busy recently. The design won the "Spatial" category of the Cardiff Design Festival and has also been shortlisted for the South Wales Business Awards in the category of Business & Technological Innovation.

H2Offices - new floating office concepts

Last week we profiled the new H2Office which looks really rather special. Now they've put up some more concept illustrations of models. Keep checking back to their blog for more details.

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H2Offices: water-shedworking in the UK (video)

We've covered the H2Office build for a long time now and we're pleased to see that they're now up and running with a show office and a large presence at the Ideal Home Show in London later this month. For the time being, enjoy the walk around the new build in the video above. I'm really quite, quite jealous.
Gracias a la gente de is-arquitectura
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H2Office: technical specifications

Those of you who were interested in the floating H2Offices which we profiled several times last year will be interested to see a diagram of their technical specifications, above.
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