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Who’d have thought suburban Melbourne would be the setting for this modern-day Walden? The isolated workspace was constructed as an at-home studio for a creative writer, ‘an antidote to balance the overstimulating, populous’ and hyperconnected workplaces that dominate modern life.
The simply clad ply box was camouflaged with lush greenery by landscape designer Ben Scott as part of the intention for the shed to exist as ‘a living part of the garden rather than an imposition on it,’ explains principal architect Matt Gibson.
The ten square metre space was intentionally sized to classify as a non-habitable building (usually reserved for garages, sheds and carports) to allow for economical building and planning methods. The result was a simple, low-tech, modestly-priced and modestly-constructed outbuilding, with a framed window providing a viewing portal to overlook the garden. A concrete slab supports the engineered timber flooring, while rolled Butnyol on the exterior seal acts as a wetsuit-like slick for insulation and waterproofing.
The shed is a rejection of the rigid and soulless offices that freelancers and workers often inhabit, offering a soothing environment to generate ideas and stimulate creativity instead.
‘As a detached and flexible workspace the Writer’s Shed provides an intimate private space to recoup, reflect and recharge the imagination.’
