#PlayHouzz
Inspired by a conversation with a general contractor friend whose daughter had been begging him for weeks to build her a playhouse for her seventh birthday, CUBE took a sketch of a typical playhouse and turned it into a dynamic framework for imaginative and unstructured play unlike any other playhouse.
Primary colored playhouses, swing-sets, and jungle-gyms sit as underutilized objects in the yards of countless households long after the children have grown tired of the one-trick ponies. Pearl’s play structure became the first in a series of architectural play structures that depart from these traditional playhouse typologies by fostering child creativity and self-direction with a boundless environment. This open-ended structure teaches children how to think, encourages creativity, and stimulates self-direction through improvisational play while exposing children to the value of design worthy of display in the front yard even after the children have outgrown it.
Maintaining the engagement of children requires an elusive dose of order and chaos, predictability and improvisation. CUBE’s mysterious sculpture is achieved by a layered skin of redwood slats and frames that reveal varied levels of privacy and scaled spaces. Hung on the 6’ by 6’ by 10’ wood mainframe are customizable panels in the balloon framing tradition. The slats, spaced for children’s feet, are visually dynamic by peeling away, wrapping and folding to mimic and encourage rigorous passage over, under and through its various levels and surfaces. This choreographed articulation also results in interstitial spaces for tranquil activities like hiding, viewing, drawing, and reading.
While the craft of construction is expressed in the details and materiality, environmental responsibility is inherent in the design. Its size allows for easy assembly with off-the-shelf stainless steel fasteners, minimal waste with use of leftover slats to provide customizable patterns. Light and breezes filter through the enclosure creating a spatially rich interior keeping the structure comfortable and dry and the use of non-toxic renewable redwood resists weathering and termites. This modest play structure by CUBE has had great impact, fostered individual and group dynamics within the neighborhood, and made a place for assembly, performance, athletics and relaxation - a space for learning, growing and discovering for both children and adults alike.
Primary colored playhouses, swing-sets, and jungle-gyms sit as underutilized objects in the yards of countless households long after the children have grown tired of the one-trick ponies. Pearl’s play structure became the first in a series of architectural play structures that depart from these traditional playhouse typologies by fostering child creativity and self-direction with a boundless environment. This open-ended structure teaches children how to think, encourages creativity, and stimulates self-direction through improvisational play while exposing children to the value of design worthy of display in the front yard even after the children have outgrown it.
Maintaining the engagement of children requires an elusive dose of order and chaos, predictability and improvisation. CUBE’s mysterious sculpture is achieved by a layered skin of redwood slats and frames that reveal varied levels of privacy and scaled spaces. Hung on the 6’ by 6’ by 10’ wood mainframe are customizable panels in the balloon framing tradition. The slats, spaced for children’s feet, are visually dynamic by peeling away, wrapping and folding to mimic and encourage rigorous passage over, under and through its various levels and surfaces. This choreographed articulation also results in interstitial spaces for tranquil activities like hiding, viewing, drawing, and reading.
While the craft of construction is expressed in the details and materiality, environmental responsibility is inherent in the design. Its size allows for easy assembly with off-the-shelf stainless steel fasteners, minimal waste with use of leftover slats to provide customizable patterns. Light and breezes filter through the enclosure creating a spatially rich interior keeping the structure comfortable and dry and the use of non-toxic renewable redwood resists weathering and termites. This modest play structure by CUBE has had great impact, fostered individual and group dynamics within the neighborhood, and made a place for assembly, performance, athletics and relaxation - a space for learning, growing and discovering for both children and adults alike.
CUBE design + research, LLC
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