Problem
The experience of settled work is a prerequisite for peace of mind in old age. Yet our society undermines this experience by making a rift between working life and retirement, and between workplace and home.
Solution
Give each person, especially as they grow old, the chance to set up a workplace of their own, within or very near their home. Make it a place that can grow slowly, perhaps in the beginning sustaining a weekend hobby and gradually becoming a complete, productive, and comfortable workshop.
Related Patterns
… as people grow older, simple satisfying work which nourishes, becomes more and more important. This pattern specifies the need for this development to be a part of every family. It helps to form The Family (75), it helps form Old Age Cottage (155), and it is a natural embellishment of A Room of One’s Own (141).
Arrange the workshop, physically, along the lines defined by Home Workshop (157), and make the workshop open to the street, a part of local street life - Private Terrace on the Street (140), Opening to the Street (165) …
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 733.