When home is work : grounding the virtual worker in an actual world

Abstract

In our increasingly wired society, the numbers of people who work from their homes is rapidly growing. However, few have the luxury of living in a space designed for office work and as such suffer from a number of problems, including feelings of isolation, lack of boundaries between home and work, and feelings of disconnection from the outside world. This thesis addresses these issues through the design of a number of architectural elements which can be applied to a living space. Through program layout, window designs and screens, the building lengthens and shortens psychological distances between the homeworker's rest and work, and between the homeworker and nature. As different professions have very different programmatic needs, this research will culminate in the application of these elements to a building for one profession, the telecommuter. The work is based on interviews and observations I have conducted with a number of telecommuters and the final design addresses their needs and concerns.