Tiny Backyard Shed with a Green Roof

Stand-alone sheds and prefab work spaces rarely look integrated into a landscape; generally, they are an extra piece plopped on top of an open flat area, cleared or already unused on a property. This quaint little construction project takes green additions in a new direction — up. The grassy green-roofed shed design almost looks like an abstracted natural structure that’s sprouted out of the lawn thanks to its seamless connection from roof to wall to earth.


The Lawn House from Altro Studio is sized to fit strips of grassy sod that wrap up its walls and over its roof, creating a layer of heat-and-light-absorbing insulation, natural ventilation as well as a simple drainage solution for outdoor applications.

Gridded metal helps hold the soil in place vertically, in combination with grip-friendly angles along the relevant edges. Want some more space? Each of these tiny house units can be extended in a modular fashion by adding more. How about power? Solar photovoltaic strips can be lined in between each module.
Two translucent sides give it a sense of openness and let in indirect light, while two opaque dirt-and-grass-covered walls and the overhead angled ceiling provide a feeling of enclosure. PVC pipe makes for a lightweight and easy-to-assemble framework for support.

As you can see here, the Lawn House is perfect for outdoor parties, offering a little cabana away from the noise of the crowds.

In short: it is a poor man’s do-it-yourself, green-roofed backyard workspace, storage shed or small man (or woman) cave – not a permanent home addition, but rather more of a landscape extension. They may not be quite big enough to live in, but they’re so cute (and relatively easy to build) you might just want to plop a few down outside your home to create new temporary rooms for any uses you can dream up.