Polhus: Swedish garden offices

We regularly feature Sweden on Shedworking because of their long history of building sheds and other shedlike structures such as Friggebod. Here's an update on garden offices there from our regular Swedish correspondent:

"In Sweden we are again advised by the authorities to work from home as much as possible. The pandemic has not resulted in a big boost of shoffices, but there is a clear demand for bigger flats and houses so homeworkers can get the extra space needed. But now one producer of tiny houses and cabins seems to have spotted a possible new market. Polhus is selling these cabins with - I guess - references to wellknown Swedish writers - August [pictured above] for Strindberg, Hjalmar for Gullberg and Selma for Lagerlöf. The August cabin is readymade and just needs a lift into the garden, the others you buy in a kit and assemble yourself."

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Garden office raised foundations

There are various ways of using foundations for garden offices and garden rooms. Here's Mark Ramuz from Garden2Office on a recent build:

"Thanks to our raised foundations, this client was able to fit his new office in a garden that had just been cleared of Japanese knotweed and minimal digging was advised. The Friggebod was fitted with air conditioning and one of our waterless toilets."

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Corrugated paper shedworking

You don't see shedlike atmospheres built out of two millimetre thick corrugated paper every day. This one was designed by architect Mattias Lind from White and produced by Swedish company EuroWell - it is printed to look like black marble or white marble, depending which way you're looking at it. And inside it's all yellow. The whole thing weighs only 100kg. We've featured various Swedish friggebod designs on Shedworking in the past, but this is certainly one of our favourites.
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Steps 15: deluxe shedworking

This marvellous design from Swedish friggebod specialists Jabo is called Steps 15. Designed by architect Rahel Belatchew Lerdell, it features steps (with compartments for growing plants) up to a rooftop area, a bench, pullout hidden storage, and indeed a pullout outdoor kitchen, plus large sliding glass doors and windows on three sides. Nice.

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Sommarnöjen

Det sägs ibland att storleken inte har någon betydelse, say the fine folk at Sommarnöjen. Det är helt fel. Or to put it another way, some people say that size doesn't matter, but they're totally wrong. And what they mean is that 'small is good'. Their friggebod designs are meant for a whole range of shedlike enjoyment from beach houses and small houses to garden offices and are built using sustainable materials. And even if you don't know your att from your betydelse, I guarantee you'll have a very pleasant time wandering around their lovely website.Via materialicious

Treehugger's Green Shed of the Year

In the same way that the Golden Globes are often a good guide to the winner of the Oscars, it's intriguing to see Treehugger's architecture guru Lloyd Alter award the Best Prefab or Shed under 150 Square Feet prize to Friggebod By Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter (also featured on Shedworking). Here's what Lloyd says:

"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 a lovely little 100 square foot cabin-office-guest room prefab that is lovely to look at. It is simple, elegant and has the cleverest fold-down bed. A small modern jewel."

This is just one category in Treehugger's Best of Green: Design + Architecture awards which are well worth a browse.
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Jonas Wagell's awardwinning friggebod

This rather splendid Swedish friggebod from Jonas Wagell (entitled Mini House) is being instrumental in introducing the shedworking concept to a wider audience since it won the Hidden Art 100% Futures Competition at 100% Design in London. As regular readers will know, in Sweden you can build garden offices and other shedlike atmospheres up to 15 square metres in size without needing to notify planners. As well as the main structure - built from plywood and styrofoam - there is an attractive terrace and pergola (all still planning-friendly). There are potential add-on options to the main prefab construction including a bath module and solar power unit.Via Dezeen

Also, with floating sheds seeming to be in the air at the moment, here below is his floating house concept.

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Choosing a shed - Garden2Office (plus exclusive offer)

Mark Ramuz from Surrey-based Garden2Office writes to tell Shedworking readers about his Swedish garden office business.

"Your friggebod coverage was inspiring. As a friggebod importer I suppose I'm bound to say that but there were some great sheds. Here are a few pictures of the sustainable buildings I import. I think we're the only company who can offer potential shedworkers a modular kit that they can put together themselves. We also offer a full install service and a 'get you started' service to help with the trickier bits. All our buildings feature timber triple glazed windows that arrive from the factory fitted into the fully insulated wall units. Our buildings are so well insulated that the same system is used for housebuilding in Scandinavia."

There's a nice gallery of their models herewhich have steel roofs, are built of timber and have various cladding options. "All units are built to Sweden’s highest ‘P-Mark’ standard for rain resistance," says Mark, "and the clever ‘tilt and turn’ mechanism makes the window become tighter as the wind force increases." Mark is also very generously offering Shedworking readers a little incentive - a free heat exchange unit (worth £350) if they buy a building. So mention us if you get in touch.

Around the shedworld

Shane from Boyzone showed off his shed/aircraft hanger on Celebrity Mr and Mrs... Essential Keystrokes asks if you have a backup shedworking location... Web Worker Daily wants to know what the 21st century workplace looks like... materialicious reports on friggebod and civil rights... HomeWorker reviews Spare Room Start Up... Chief Home Officer likes English breakfast tea... If you have a private island, Private Island Living magazine (yes, really) has the modular housing information for you... Dwell blog likes the vertical patio (pictured above), a shedlike atmosphere without a roof or walls but with hot tub option from Picque... Treehugger identifies a very small homeworking space... Shedblog is back (hooray!) and highlights the marvellous shed performer, Fin (below)...

Annexet

The Annexet comes from Aarup and Hansson's My Second Home who buy, renovate and sell unique Swedish holiday houses. The Annexet is a 10m² house that doesn't require building permission now that the upper limit has been extended to 15 m² (as readers of our regular Friggebod Friday posts will know). The picture comes from the permanent exhibition HusExpo in Stockholm.

Friggebod Friday - Pildammsparken

Here we have some multi purpose sheds, a series constructed in Pildammsparken, Malmö, Sweden, writes Shedworking's northern Europe correspondent Sy Willmer. Realised from appealing chunky timber sections with industrial fixings and sitting on concrete pile foundations, they feature a fantastic array of flap down surfaces with open and enclosed spaces. They are used by a range of social groups such as the local scouts - theirs is surrounded by wigwams - and all are opened up during communal park activities, namely the summer open air music programme when concerts are held in the open green area of the crescent woodland where these sheds lie enclosed. As is often the case in the more northern climes of Europe there is a distinct lack of these sheds having suffered any abuse or vandalism. I have long pondered upon this difference of respect for the public space with other EU state’s societies. You the reader may have noticed this from the previous images I have posted of Scandinavian sheds in the community environment as part of this Friggebod Friday section. Perhaps it is the consideration in design or commitment to spend the taxpayer’s money wisely? I can’t answer that here, but these beauties sure beat the damp pre fab Nissen hut I spent every Wednesday night in as a youth.

Friggebod Friday - Sten Jensen

I'm feeling more than a little out of my depth with Friggebod Friday posts while Sy Willmer is away - I can appreciate the marvellous shedlike atmospheres but in my deep ignorance I don't understand a word of the web sites. Here's one I would particularly like to know more about, Stens sma hus. Sten Jensen obviously knows his garden offices since there looks to be plenty of technical information about building regulations and designs among his pages. He has also written articles on the subject. And that's about all I can tell you. But please do have a browse around his site which is marvellous.

Friggebod Friday - plussarum

A collection of lovely examples of the friggebod form from Stockholm-based plussarum. Here's what they say:

"Smakfullt, flexibelt, tidlöst… den moderna friggeboden för de mest skiftande miljöer. I skärgård, vid Gotlandshus, Skånelänga eller funkishus, eller med dagens arkitektur… Du behöver inte längre rita eget eller anlita egen arkitekt – du kan beställa våra arkitektritade småhus på knappt 10 kvm som byggsats. Och är du händig kan du själv montera huset."

Friggebod Friday - Little Houses on the Black River

Some lovely examples of moveable, flatpack shedlike structures, designed and built by undergraduates in the Product Design department at Parsons The New School for Design working with students at the St. Etienne School of Art and Design in France, and Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design in Stockholm. According to Metropolismag students were asked to design sleeping and living units that could be easily re-arranged to work singly or together. The sheds were built on a former industrial railway bridge on the Black River. It was awarded 2006 Best Design School Project Award at ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair). For more images click here and for a video of one of the students doing a guided walkthrough, go to Apartment Therapy.

Friggebod Friday - public conveniences

The range of public toilets on offer in today’s average street can be such a turn off, says Shedworking's Northern Europe correspondent Sy Willmer. The filth and the fury doesn’t just stop at council erected conveniences and “super loos” as I’m sure most of are familiar with the blue hell portable toilets even if you have never been to music festivals such as Glastonbury (UK) and Roskilde (DK). Once again advanced shed technology offers the solution and here are some examples I have seen recently. Whilst the polyester clad unit is sympathetically finished in green to suit its rural layby location and the single worker's example is very personal, my favourite is the pavilion style strap on that brings back memories of long hot summers as a boy in Brighton.

Friggebod Friday - kiosk

When is a shed not a shed? writes Shedworking's Northern Europe correspondent Sy Willmer. A question I have asked before, but this time the answer is when a shed is a kiosk. Fast food is everywhere in the 21st century but not all societies share the same tastes in processed flesh. Other than the high street and drive through franchise restaurants one finds independent establishments offering fish and chips, chips with mayonnaise and kebabs full of eastern promise to sooth the post pub blues. In some parts of Europe the sausage is king and Scandinavians like to take theirs accompanied by lashings of mashed potato. Sheds are the perfect venue to enjoy a warm length and have a much loved place in the population’s heart. Street kitchens, as they are know after translation, not only supply food but are also the traditional hangout for the local youth with their mopeds along with weekend bikers, and make a perfect stop off for classic car enthusiasts out on a run. Not only am I a shed addict but I'm also a sucker for cheap meat. My needs are well catered for where I live as I can count three of these jolly hot dog huts in my street.