Building for Better Futures Texas A&M University COSC | ARCH
design team Landen Ehlers | COSC
Alyssa Johnston | ARCH
Kindall Stephens | ARCH
Philip Welch | COSC
contents concept inspiration iterations drawings progression final product
The playhouse is designed to facilitate the growth of children and the expansion of their imaginations. The space of the structure is organized to encourage the students to experience all of the space. the entry of the playhouse is off-centered to allow for the sliding door to move freely. The barn door was chosen to allow for children of all ages to access the space. The tunnel ladder located opposite of the entry to encourage everyone, moving up through the space, to engage with the entire lower level. As they move up, the children slow down to climb up through to the upper level. This movement upwards mimics the growth the children will be experiencing with the new playhouse to explore their imaginations and new possibilities for their futures
concept
http://www.homeworkshop.com/wp-content/ uploads/2010/07/Deluxe-Playhouse-from-Rosenberry-Rooms.jpg
http://xamary.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/san-diego-playhouse-2.jpg
During the initial stages of the design process, the group worked to look at previous projects and pull ideas from children. The above picture is from a group of second grade students we looked at for inspiration. We drew from this that the students want to get above ground level
http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m8QpxpqyIwdJjEm5LfWpMPw.jpg
inspirations
When working on the initial iterations of the design, we looked to the desires of the kids we referenced. In many of the drawings, there were indications of vertical movement and a lot of active space. Due to this, we knew we wanted to have a scalable structure and to have multiple levels within the playhouse. The windows shown in this iteration were placed to allow the light to play on the horizontal surfaces as the sun moved. We learned from this that we cannot depend on this affect as we are not going to be installing the playhouse to its final position.
iteration
The second iteration increased in detail and formal enclosure. The initial thoughts of vertical movement were preserved, the scalable surfaces were lacking. Color was now introduced into the structure, as we progressed further in the design details.
iteration
When looking to move forward from this design, we saw the spacial requirements for an effective rope swing would exceed what we has alloted for, limiting the use of the element. After weighing the importance, it was removed from the project. rope bridge stairs
tire swing PVC playwa ll
trap door
7' - 6"
2' - 5"
9' - 0"
FLOOR ONE
TOP VIEW
D R AW I N G S
SECTION
LANDEN EHLERS | ALYSSA JOHNSTON KINDALL STEPHENS | PHILIP WELCH F E B R U A R Y
1 1
2 0 1 4
D R AW I N G S LANDEN EHLERS | ALYSSA JOHNSTON KINDALL STEPHENS | PHILIP WELCH F E B R U A R Y
iteration
1 1
2 0 1 4
final playhouse design
perspective sections
elevations & section
tunnel & plans
details
working it out
oh the boys...
steel frame | hot works
steel frame | hot works
The steel frame was cleaned and painted to avoid rusting. This was done in black matte paint to minimize the appearance of the frame. The black acts as a trim and background to the boards while the matte finish prevents reflectivity from the sun.
steel frame | paint
quality control | board sorting
Each board used in the project, no matter the size, was routed to assure no sharp edges were present for the kids to hit. Landen Ehlers, pictured to the left, routed over 100 blocks in the effort to maintain consistency within the project.
wood work | routing
steel frame | transportation
The frame was carried from the workshop out to the site with the help of classmates. The transfer was surprisingly fast due to the amount of help we received. At this point, we were ready to finish prefabricating our boards and assembling the playhouse.
kit of parts | prefabrication
All of the wood pieces for the project were prefabricated before assembled onto the frame. Each piece was routed, drilled, sanded, and stained or painted before attached for final assembly.
kit of parts | prefabrication
stages of progression
the finished product
let the fun begin
As we finish, we look forward to bringing our playhouse to Dallas for CASA. Our hope is a family will find our playhouse and their children will be able to enjoy exploring their imagination. The structure was designed and constructed with creative play in mind and we believe it will be successful in any home it is placed in. We would like to give a special thank you to Texas A&M University and the College of Architecture for facilitating such a successful interdisciplinary project. Without the support of the college, none of this would have been possible. Specifically, we would also like to thank: Ben Bigelow, Gabriella Campagnol, and Michael O’Brien for directing the class through construction and design guidance.
closing of the project
Thanks & Gig’em