When I was young, I was fascinated by "Growing Pains" dad Jason Seaver’s work-at-home setup. I loved that in between appointments with patients in his home office, the good doctor could pop into the family kitchen and hang with Mike, Carol, Ben and the gang while mom Maggie was out working as a reporter. What could be better, right?

Now, as an adult who primarily works from home with the exception of meetings, events, and occasional respite at a local coffee shop, the work-where-you-live concept that I found so novel in "Growing Pains" has, well, worn off a bit. That's not to say I'm unhappy (and I certainly enjoy my current, zero-impact non-commute) but sometimes things get a touch claustrophobic.

For those who similarly don’t mind working and living in the same place but have space issues, here’s an interesting concept: the Archipod, a spherical prefab “garden office” measuring 9’10” in diameter that appears to be one part traditional English garden shed and one part cedar singled space pod straight out of "Lost in Space."

Designed and built in the UK, the Archipod was conceived with Mother Nature in mind — the company was founded out of “frustration at the commuting lifestyle, with its attendant road congestion, air and noise pollution, road rage, running costs and time loss.”

The structure itself is made from reused or FSC-certified timber, is tightly insulated with recycled glass fiberglass insulation, heated with an efficient electric panel radiator, and features a generous roof dome eliminating the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours. And, of course, the Archipod’s efficient prefabricated construction minimizes any building waste. The folks behind Archipod also believe that working in results in lowered household heating costs since you’re heating just a small space while you work rather than an entire home. With an ergonomic interior that features a giant semicircular desk, the Archipod doesn’t have to serve as a garden office. It would also make a nifty playhouse, studio, or garden meditation retreat ... the pod-ibilities are quite endless. Made to order and “designed to meet a high standard rather than a low budget,” the Archipod isn’t cheap. And, naturally, giant plywood backyard bubbles aren’t for everyone. But the commute-to-your-garden concept is quite brilliant, I think, particularly as more and more folks start to work from home. What do you think?

Via [Ecofriend] via [GreenMuze] Photos: Archipod

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