Want to Work from Home? Ask Your Boss for a Prefab Micro-Office

New York-based designer Victor Vetterlein has a new concept for working at home: a flexible, self-contained unit that companies could place in the backyard of an employee who wants to telecommute. MOSS, or the "Micro Office Systems Space," would have everything you'd need for work. Vetterlein explains his motivation on Dezeen:

Millions of people commute to work each day only to sit in office cubicles with little to no contact with their business associates. Increasingly congested roadways from daily commuters and the subsequent environmental damage of automobiles, coupled with the happiness and well-being of employees in relation to their increased productivity, suggests that we must start to look for alternative models to the current office work model.

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Why not just commute from your couch or kitchen table? For Vetterlein, one reason to create MOSS was to give employees a clear separation between work and their home life. The design also has a few other advantages. A direct link provides a visual, audio, and data stream from the main office, so coworkers can stay in touch. At 13 feet long, the building has enough room for meetings with clients. A bathroom or kitchenette could be added as an extra.

The design also has several sustainable features. Power comes from solar panels on the roof, with the option for a wind turbine as well. Floor panels give energy-efficient heat. The octagonal shape is intended to shed rain and snow while providing natural ventilation. Birch plywood lines the walls inside. LED lights keep energy use low, while a skylight helps provide extra lighting.

A company could buy or lease a MOSS unit, and drive it to an employee's home on a flatbed truck. The prefab design allows for easy assembly, and the unit can be placed in a yard, driveway, or on the roof.

For those who work at home, what's your office like? Would you want to have a pop-up office in your backyard?