National Gardening Leave

This new pamphlet from the New Economics Foundation isn't strictly about shedworking, but it certainly fits in with the Shedworking staff's attitude to work and life. 

Essentially, it argues that Britain would be better off if we all spent less time at the office and puts the case for "a new, voluntary scheme to introduce a shorter working week, and for the rapid expansion of productive and pleasurable gardening in Britain’s towns and cities." 

Here's a snippet:

We argue that this will leave people happier, healthier and better equipped for our challenging times. It will make the economy more resilient, better positioned for the modern world, and more protected from external food and energy price shocks. It will also make communities stronger and more convivial places to live.

Giving people entering new jobs (and, where possible, those in existing jobs) the option of working a four day week – something which is standard practice in the Netherlands, for example – brings potential multiple benefits to individuals, workplaces, communities, the environment and the economy.

It is time to reap the benefits in taking the next logical step in the historical trend toward a shorter, conventional working week. In the new time made available, gardening wouldn’t be compulsory or the only choice of what to do, but it is already incredibly popular and we believe, an important and attractive option.

 You can download the pamphlet for free here.

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Amsterdam mirror shedworking

A spectacular shedlike atmosphere in the Watergraafsmeer district of Amsterdam, designed by cc-studio for Maarten - who as director of the augmentedreality start-up company Layar often works in the garden office - and Lori Lens-FitzGerald in Watergraafsmee. Here's what cc-studio say about it:

By placing mirrored planes the visual depth of the garden was enhanced to look deeper. Also the geometry of the volume was specially tailored to play with the perspective lines and to have no vertical surfaces parallel to the house but at an angle to have a more continuous flow.

It has a lovely sedum roof on the angular roof, built to avoid a box shape, and windows are half-hidden from direct sight (which is good as it is also used as a guest room as well as a garden office). cc-studio say that the vapour permeable cellulose insulation and gypsum plastered walls "create within the critically small space an agreeable indoor climate temperature and healthy air".

Via archdaily----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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The lamp factory at the bottom of the garden

Tring-based Paul Murray who runs his restored vintage theatre lighting business Phoenix Lights

spent six years building this rather marvellous garden office, sourcing all materials from eBay.

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Garden pods on Dragons' Den

It's not often you get very similar products being tried out on BBC's Dragons' Den business investment/light entertainement show, but the latest episode featured another shedlike atmosphere following last year's appearance of O-Pod.

This time round it's Glen Brady from Oakenclough who's aiming to get the business folk to invest in his glamping/garden office pods. It starts off fairly promisingly but then, er... You can catch it on the BBC's iPlayer thingy here from about 29 minutes in. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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How to draw a garden shed (video)

A nice masterclass in shed illustration from shedworking artist Shoo Rayner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday posts are sponsored by Garden Spaces, suppliers of contemporary garden buildings, offices, gyms and studios, many of which do not require planning

Huge rise in number of American homeworkers

In 2010, 4.2 million more people worked at home than a decade before, according to a report just released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the number of people who worked at home at least one day per week increased from 9.5 million in 1999 to 13.4 million in 2010, increasing from 7 percent to 9.5 percent of all workers. The largest increase occurred between 2005 and 2010, when the share grew from 7.8 percent to 9.5 percent of all workers, an increase of more than 2 million.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation has provided information on home-based workers since the mid-1990s and differentiates by those who work exclusively from home (home workers), those who worked only outside of the home (onsite), and those who worked both from home and at a location outside of the home (mixed workers).

The survey revealed that median household income was significantly higher for mixed workers at $96,300, compared with $74,000 for home workers and $65,600 for onsite workers. Estimates from the 2010 American Community Survey indicate that the Boulder, Colo., metropolitan area had among the highest percent of workers who worked from home most of the week with 10.9 percent, followed by Medford, Ore., with 8.4, Santa Fe, N.M., with 8.3, Kingston, N.Y. with 8.1; and Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif., with 7.9.

Although nearly half of home-based workers were self-employed, government workers saw the largest increase in home-based work over the last decade. Home-based workers increased by 133 percent among state government workers and 88 percent among federal government workers. There was a 67 percent increase in home-based work for employees of private companies.

Other highlights:
 * About one in 10 who worked exclusively from home were 65 and older in 2010.
* About one-fourth of home-based workers were in management, business and financial occupations. * Home-based workers in computer, engineering and science occupations increased by 69 percent between 2000 and 2010.
* Mondays and Fridays were the most popular days to work at home for those who work both at home and at another location.
* Metro areas in the Southeast, Southwest and West had the largest percentage of workers who worked from home. ---------------------------------------------------
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Hypercubus

Designed as a mobile hotel room by WG3, Hypercubus would also make a rather attractive garden office which comes with its own sink and lavatory as standard.
MAKING OF / HYPERCUBUS from WG3 on Vimeo. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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