Shedworking

Monday, October 20, 2008

Housebox

The Housebox by Markku Hedman is a lovely shedlike atmosphere/holiday home in Tuusula, Finland. It's a moveable prefab structure made with wood and when it's all shut up measures 2.80m x 2.40m but you can extend it another couple of metres when necessary.
Via Judit Bellostes

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Our Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office
specialists.
Click here for more details.

UK flexitime reform at risk

Andrew Grice in The Independent reports that plans to allow 4.5 million parents in the UK to work flexibly are to be delayed by the Government as it searches for ways to help businesses survive the economic downturn. The reform was aimed at extending the right to flexitime for parents with children up to 16. Also in danger are extended paid maternity leave from 39 to 52 weeks and an extra bank holiday. An internal document seen by The Independent reveals that Lord Mandelson is urgently drawing up an "action programme for business". He has ordered his department "to be completely focused on getting UK business through the present economic downturn and emerging stronger on the other side". Here's what he says:

"Government sources say the decision is finely balanced. Ministers want to ease the pain of the downturn on ordinary people but must do everything possible to help business. Delaying a popular extension of workplace rights might contribute to a "feel-bad factor" and would be opposed by many Labour MPs and trade unions."

Shedworking's take is that this would be a terrible shame and a big step backward, punishing those who have done nothing to contribute to the current financial mess, but please do leave your comments below. Interestingly, Grice adds that today opposition leader David Cameron will publish a "plan for small business" which would allow them to defer their VAT bills for up to six months.

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Our Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office
specialists.
Click here for more details.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Casa Nido

Get away from it all and back to natural shedworking with the marvellous Casa Nido (Nest House) from Gerard Moliné. Here's what he says:

"La vida en la ciudad es complicada. Necesidades tan básicas como la vivienda están sujetas a complejas y a veces absurdas obligaciones. La libertad se reduce en función de lo que tienes o necesitas. Los pájaros no pagan hipotecas, se instalan en un lugar y utilizan los recursos más próximos, sus nidos se integran de forma natural en el paisaje."

And so learning from the birds, Casa Nido is a simple structure of metal and rope which you build with natural materials such as leaves and branches and then hang from a tree. Gerard suggests you can use it as an observation hide or even spend the night in it.
Via My Urban Garden Deco Guide

The Shedworker's Bookshelf - A loo with a View

Outhouses, as we've repeatedly said on Shedworking, are among the most intriguing of shedlike atmospheres. Luke Barclay's new book A Loo with a View (Virgin Books) looks at 40 of the best views from lavatories around the world, but in the process also features some marvellous shedlike structures such as the one on the Tasman Glacier below.

There's a nice review of it in The Independent with more pix to view at the Daily Mail.

eworkingireland.com

For information about shedworking (and working at home in general) in Ireland, nip across to eworkingireland.com. It encourages both employers and employees to start teleworking/telecommuting/whatever you like to call it with sections on technology, reports, legal things, etc, and comes from broadband provider Centrecom.