# Oak Garden Office

A low oak garden office that reads as a deep framed portal: a 900 mm roof overhang, a solid oak cheek wall and an open right\-hand end, and how they work with the sun

By Ryan Kerstein

Topic: Engineering

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/lltNO87DoH3P)

## Transcript

### 1. A quiet oak portal

This small garden office is made of oak, glass and one thin roof line\. Its glass front sits deep in shadow, framed like a doorway instead of a box\. Drag anywhere to look around it\.

It is 6 m wide, 3 m deep and no taller than 2\.5 m\.

### 2. The roof reaches out

The flat roof runs 900 mm past the glass, about one long stride\. That deep overhang makes a sheltered porch and keeps rain off the doors\.

The front edge tapers to a slim aluminium trim, so it reads as one crisp line\.

### 3. A solid oak cheek

On the left, a solid oak wall comes forward with the roof\. Builders call it a cheek\. It closes that side of the frame and shades the doors from low afternoon sun in the west\.

Spot the small brass maker's plate on its inside face\.

### 4. Open on the right

The right\-hand end is left open under the roof\. Here the roof cantilevers: it is held out from the building with nothing propping its far corner\. Solid on one side and open on the other gives the front its deliberate asymmetry\.

### 5. Follow the sun

Pick a sun and watch the shade move\. High summer sun is stopped by the overhang, so the room stays cool\. Low winter sun slips underneath and reaches deep inside\.

In southern England the midday sun climbs about 62° in June but only about 15° in December\.

### 6. Doors that fold away

Three glass doors fold outwards and stack to the left, tucked under the roof\. Open them and the room and the terrace become one space\.

The doorway is 2\.4 m wide and 2 m tall, with its top in line with the windows\.

### 7. Inside the room

Lift the roof away to see inside\. A desk sits under the long side window, a small kitchenette runs under the left window, and a WC is tucked into the back corner\.

The ceiling is 2\.05 m high and the whole roof still fits under 2\.5 m\.

### 8. Quiet beside the house

Seen from the old house, the office is a low, calm line in the garden\. Natural oak, slim black frames and one thin roof edge let the listed house stay the star\.

Listed means a building is protected for its history, so even this garden office needs planning permission\.