basement | connected

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Workhome group:

Basement

Categories:

Office/Study, Shop, Workshop/Studio, Consulting room, Public passing trade, Public appointment, Equal Status, Live-with, Live-adjacent, Employees, No employees, Front Only

One of the design issues, central to designing workhomes with workspaces visited by members of the public [either as passing trade or by appointment], is how to maintain a street frontage for both dwelling and workplace elements of the workhome. Locating the workspace in a basement, or semi-basement, provides one solution to this.

The home is at street level, while a separate public walkway [made accessible by a variety of possible means] links terraced workspaces at a lower level. The elevations to these can be designed to meet the needs of the particular occupation, fully glazed for retail, large doors for workshop etc.

These 'live-adjacent' workhomes can have differing degrees of spatial connection between the dwelling and workplace elements. Some people prefer prefer complete separation, so they go out their front door, down a flight of external stairs and in a separate entrance to their workspace to 'go to work'. 

Other people prefer a more direct connection between the two parts of their workhomes. A discreet stair can link dwelling and workplace elements of the workhome. While not apparent to members of the public, this removes the need to go outside to 'go to work', or 'go home' at the end of the day. Other people like a definite spatial connection between the two functions, and so the stair between workplace and dwelling elements is no different to that between ground and first floors of the dwelling.

This 'live-adjacent' sort of workhome is ideal for home-based occupstions that involve regular visits from members of the public and require a high degree of separation between dwelling and workplace. Examples include alternative health therapists, personal services such as hairdressing and noisy/dirty occupations such as furniture-making.



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