Houzz Tour: Is it a Shed? A desk? Neither - it's a 'Shoffice' - Like the garden follies that dotted English country estate in the 18th and 19th centuries, this pavilion courtyard Bois Saint-Jean is part sculpture and part shelter . Nestled in a garden behind a terraced house in the 1950s, it serves both as a garden shed and an office for its owner, earned him the nickname "shoffice".
Platform 5 Architects
photography by Alan Williams
Platform 5 Architects
the customer told Patrick Michell Platform 5 Architects she wanted a structure that would sit in the garden as a piece of sculpture. For inspiration, Michell turned to the nature and work of the late artist Barbara Hepworth English, the abstract, organic forms are often pierced by voids, such as skylights and roof opening punctuating the shoffice .
'The customer was clear that she wanted a curvilinear shape, said Michell. Curling upon itself as a shaving giant wood, shoffice has a closed working space on one side and a small garden storage area of another. A protruding tongue-shaped face is the basis for the structure and a playground for children of the owner.
'The customer was clear that she wanted a curvilinear shape, said Michell. Curling upon itself as a shaving giant wood, shoffice has a closed working space on one side and a small garden storage area of another. A protruding tongue-shaped face is the basis for the structure and a playground for children of the owner.
The shoffice was built from two thin rings curved steel related timber, then covered with plywood coating. The inside and outside are covered in American white oak.
'The shape echoes those found in nature, creating a relaxing atmosphere in which to work, said Michell, who admits that the complex geometry added to the cost of the structure.
'The shape echoes those found in nature, creating a relaxing atmosphere in which to work, said Michell, who admits that the complex geometry added to the cost of the structure.
Looking back to the main house from the garden shed, which is open to the elements, you get a sense of the relationship between the two structures. The enclosed office is visible through the glass on the right.
The office measures about 7 square meters.
Platform 5 Architects
A single cantilever office is nestled in the top corner. The owner took a sabbatical from her job and is writing a book here.
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the shoffice was designed to complement the lines of the terraced house, do not imitate them. "The main objective was to make a beautiful object, says Michell.
The construction elements had to be carried by the front door and into the garden. "If you could get access to the crane, it would be possible to transport, 'muses Michell, but I think it is here to stay."
Platform 5 Architects
a few people have asked about the mass production of shoffice but no 'deals have been struck yet. "The right partner has not yet been found to do it with, says Michell.
Some have even expressed an interest in building homes in full screen mode according to the design. While the architect finds the proposal interesting, no commissions have materialized, and shoffice remains as it was intended to be: one of a kind.
More study spaces with a difference
Tell us what you think of the "shoffice" in the comments section below.
Some have even expressed an interest in building homes in full screen mode according to the design. While the architect finds the proposal interesting, no commissions have materialized, and shoffice remains as it was intended to be: one of a kind.
More study spaces with a difference
Tell us what you think of the "shoffice" in the comments section below.