On Friday, May 23rd – we took the top 21 entries that were selected and whittled them down to the top two. In all, the process took just under 4 hours and there were some interesting debates over the different merits we were using to evaluate. The general concepts used were:
- Overall Design
- Appeal
- Constructibility
- Adherence to rules – mostly regarding the safe-guarding of the playhouses while they were on display
There were a total of 8 people casting votes for this final round of judging. There is no doubt that this many judges made the final round more difficult, but at the same time, there was a lot of discussion on the different merits of each playhouse. I can safely say that if I had chosen the winners the final group would have looked a little different – but I wasn’t a judge. Since this is really about the final product, rather than some purely abstract architectural idealized version of a playhouse, the cast of characters that make up the judging panel bring a myriad of talents and skills to the conversation.
The judges for this final round consisted of:
Ryan Thomason – Architectural Associate at Michael Malone Architects
Cindy (and David) Warner – Director of Finance and Administration for Dallas CASA
Jamie Cross – Undergraduate student – Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Biology and Business
Stephanie (and Scott) Fitzherbert – Brand Public Relations with the Richards Group
Kate Borson and Kate Swayze – 4th graders and generational style docents
We continued the trend inviting a diverse and well-informed group of judges. I am impressed with how serious the selection process is as reflected by the types of questions brought up. Is it fun? Would a child like it? Would a parent want it in their backyard? What happens in 3 months, How would it age? The type of questions the judges ask reflects their own assumptions – ready to challenge people whenever there is a difference of opinion. In the end, all you have to do is look at the winners and the locations from which the designs came from to recognize that children are the same the world over.
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Enough delay!! … I am pleased to announce the winners of the
2014 2nd Annual Life of an Architect Playhouse Design Competition!
(as a reminder, I am currently planning on building two playhouses but the possibility exists that an additional two could be built. As a result, there are two additional playhouses that were selected as “alternates” which will get built if we are able to secure the possible resources.)
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1st Place Winner
Levente Skulteti – The Red Ball Playhouse
Brussels, Belgium
I am a 34 year-old Hungarian architect and I currently live in Brussels. As I am between jobs for the moment, I have some time and creative energies that I thought I’d put in something useful (doing competitions) and that’s how I found this one … and as I like working on small-scale things I thought I would give it a try!
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2nd Place Winner
Kania P. Anggriany – The Hollow Tree Playhouse
Bali, Indonesia
I’m a 25 year old woman – a full-time wife and half time assistant of a talented young architect … which happens to be my husband. Together we join various regional and international competition to challenge our ideas about design. I like kids and I love to have fun with them … that’s what I saw in this competition.
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1st Runner Up
Patrick Ladendecker – Food Truck playhouse
St. Louis, Missouri
Architectural designer/coffee snob working on completing my license (5 down, 2 to go).
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2nd Runner Up
Alan Lau – The Twinkle Star Playhouse
London, United Kingdom
I am an architect from UK, 34 years old and setting up my own studio at the moment. I am keen on architecture that connects with people ’emotionally’ and it reflects on my design too.
Congratulations to the winners and I would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You! to everyone who took the time to participate in this competition.
(in case you are new to Life of an Architect – here is a little information on Dallas CASA, and the volunteers that donate their time to abused and neglected children – these are the people these marvelous playhouses will benefit)
Dallas CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a nonprofit organization of community volunteers trained and supervised to serve as voices in court for abused and neglected children. On any day in Dallas County, there are nearly 2,000 children waiting for a safe place to live. Many times the CASA volunteer is the only constant in the child’s life during this very difficult process. Parade of Playhouses raises funds for Dallas CASA to continue serving more children who need safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.