Summerhouse by Ullmayer Sylvester Architects
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto
on 10.11.07

Sometimes if you need a bit more room you don't need to move or do a big addition; perhaps a garden shed will fill the bill. Ullmayer Sylvester Architects designed this summerhouse as a "seasonal hideaway for a hackney-based family of four. they all needed more and safe play space as the children are growing older. the new space should serve as a painter's studio, garden shed, table tennis venue and sleep-over place. developing the somewhat neglected rear of their garden became and alternative to moving away into a larger property."

"The outside of this timber structure is clad in thin skins. beyond weather protection these surfaces are meant to re-enforce the presence of the garden and to frame the seasons."

"an 8m long mirror reflects the diverse floral range and defies the solidity and proximity of the wall it is mounted on."
::Ullmayer Sylvester Architects via the thoroughly modern ::Shedworking
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I love this! I have a dream of building these on rooftops in new york...love the mirrored side!
The summerhouse looks nice, but it must be designed for cool climates. It has a lot of the same characteristics as a greenhouse. This thing would get extremely hot in the summer. Would this cause a necessity for higher energy use by cooling it down?