Wittgenstein's hut

We have touched briefly before on the remote Norwegian log cabin above Lake Eidsvatnet Lake in Sogn in which philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein did some of his finest thinking overlooking the fjord but realised we are guilty on not keeping readers properly up to date on its existence.

Long story short, for many years it was left to degenerate and in a state of some disrepair, but in 2019 it was finally rebuilt/restored after being carefully taken down, windows, roof tiles, timber, and all (and for a while rebuilt on an entirely different site in the nearby village).

His philosopher friend Bertrand Russell commented on Wittgenstein's extended time in the cabin: “I said it would be dark, and he said he hated daylight. I said it would be lonely, and he said he prostituted his mind talking to intelligent people. I said he was mad, and he said God preserve him from sanity. (God certainly will.)” Wittgenstein wrote back: “I am sitting here in a little place inside a beautiful fjord and thinking about the beastly theory of types"

Wittgenstein also wrote in a letter to the English philosopher G E Moore in October 1936:  “I can’t imagine that I could have worked anywhere as I do here. It’s the quiet and, perhaps, the wonderful landscapes; I mean, its quiet seriousness.”

The hut is open to visitors though it's literally a bit of a trek to get to it.

CC image courtesy Olaf Meister

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Monday's posts are sponsored by Smart Modular Buildings, the UK's best garden room company

 

Friday Finery: Ben Fogle's writer's hut

This week's entry is an interior, broadcaster, writer, and keen shed enthusiast Ben Fogle inside his hut as posted on his instagram page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ben Fogle (@benfogle)

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Study indicates that working from home can significantly boost productivity

A new study by researchers at King’s College London suggests that remote work has the potential to significantly boost productivity and bring underrepresented groups into the workforce. It found productivity increased by 10.5 per cent after the switch to remote work. 

Co-authored by Dr Cevat Giray Aksoy of King’s College London, the study examined the long-term impacts of flexible work arrangements through a case study of Tempo BPO, a multinational business process outsourcing firm with 3,500 employees.

The firm transitioned to fully remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and has maintained this model since. The study found that, following this transition, productivity increased by 10.5 per cent, driven largely by shorter call durations as employees benefited from quieter home environments. Service quality also improved with shorter calls and hold times.

Remote work also transformed the firm’s workforce composition. The share of female employees rose from 50 per cent to 76 per cent, with significant increases in married women and workers from rural areas, groups traditionally underrepresented in Turkey’s labour market where Tempo is based. Additionally, the firm attracted more educated and experienced employees without raising wages, as remote work expanded its talent pool.

The study also showed that employees who began with in-person training before switching to remote work showed higher long-term productivity and lower attrition rates than those who started remotely. The finding suggests that initial face-to-face induction processes foster stronger workplace connections and better performance.

“This case is a striking example of how remote work can be a win-win for firms and workers, even in low-wage service-sector settings,” said Dr Aksoy, lead economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development who co-authored the study with Nicholas Bloom and Steven J. Davis (Stanford University), Victoria Marino (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), and Cem Ozguzel (Paris School of Economics). “It broadened the hiring pool, improved productivity, and did so without raising costs.”

Image courtesy Warwick Buildings

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

 

Recent developments at SMART Modular Buildings

Regular readers will be familiar with Suffolk-based SMART Modular Buildings (previously SMART Garden Offices, founded 2001) which designs and supplies modular garden rooms, studios, offices, and residential-grade living spaces.

SMART has recently overhauled its offering:

* composite cladding is now available on popular models such its The Belle and The Evolve

* flush finishes have been introduced for a modern architectural look

* there is improved thermal insulation across ranges, lowering U-values and improving year-round efficiency

* the range now includes larger and more flexible size formats, removing the previous limitations of fixed sizes

“We’ve removed the old constraints of our in-house factory model," explained CEO Matt Moss, "and reimagined our approach to bring the very best of British modular innovation directly to our customers.”

Coming soon is a new online configurator tool which will allow customers to custom-build their building in real time, and adjust sizes, finishes, and upgrade packages so that overall it will offer instant visual feedback and pricing.

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

Indoor sheds: Kabin 1

We've not looked at indoor sheds for a while so here's something to consider if you're looking for that garden office working atmosphere but not an actual garden office. It's called Kabin 1 and comes from Kabin Space. There are three models, one pretty titchy one, one designed for two, and this one pictured above, all aimed at "reducing surrounding noises and visual distractions...An empowering environment for your most meaningful work".

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Monday's posts are sponsored by Smart Modular Buildings, the UK's best garden room company

Friday Finery: Bothy garden room

Oliver's Huts has a lovely range of shepherds' huts, bothies, and garden rooms. Here's a rather nice example, complete with electrics and fully insulated with Plastisol coated metal cladding.

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

 

Multi-purpose garden room

A complex recent 6.5m x 5.17m build here by Garden Spaces for a client who wanted a building that the whole family could use to enjoy quality time together, including a space for a sauna (which another company fitted), a bike and running machine, and with a 1.5m x 3m storage area. It also had to fit in with the garden renovation project which was going to start after Garden Spaces had finished erecting the building - as part of the garden project, the client planned to install a hot tub, so the electrical plan needed to take that into account too. 

Other features included a screw pile foundation system, full length window, Red Cedar cladding, and because of the long roof span, additional roof engineering and extra beams. 

"Our ability and flexibility to deal with the complex nature of the client requests, our close relationship with our suppliers and engineers, and our ability and flexibility to connect with other trade companies mean that we are especially fond of this project," said a spokesperson for Garden Spaces.

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK