This last Friday – May 4th – we took the top 20 entries that were selected and whittled them down to the top two. In all, the process took about 90 minutes and there were some interesting debates over the different merits we were using to evaluate. The general concepts we used were:

• Overall Design
• Appeal
• Constructibility
• Adherence to rules – mostly regarding the safe-guarding of the playhouses while they were on display)

It might sound easy but picking the top 2 was a lot more difficult than you might think – not one entry was a unanimous winner. I was not one of the judges although I was there to answer questions and provide some guidance on the process of building and protecting the playhouses.

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There were 4 judges present, some who have requested to remain anonymous … (I can only think it’s because the amount of attention they might receive from the people who were not chosen to win). We had a representative from AUI, a construction company who will be overseeing the building of these playhouse, one of the design partners from my own office, Scott Taylor – a previous playhouse competition entrant himself – and a guest judge (who graced the cover of Residential Architect last year.

Since it was my competition and I was the host, I went out and picked up some libations and snacks for the event … anything to keep the judges happy while they graciously donated their time to participate in the process. I am grateful to them.

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After discussing all the entries, we did a blind vote to see where everyone’s thoughts were … and there were 5 entries that garnered 3 out of 4 votes. These were pinned up and debated collectively against each other. This is the really difficult part because in the end, there were three that we really felt deserved to be built.

… but I’m still working on that.

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I am pleased to announce the winning playhouse for the

2012 Life of an Architect Playhouse Design Competition!

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Nooks and Crannies Playhouse

Entry by Bogdan Tomalevski and Tarek Abdel Ghaffar

Los Angeles, California

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Beacon Playhouse

Entry by Peter Christensen

Miami, Florida

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(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)

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Information on Dallas CASA:

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.

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Special Thanks to:

This is the second year in a row that AUI Contractors has stepped up and funded the construction of several of these playhouses. I became familiar with AUI thanks to Tim Guedry, a friend of mine dating back to high school who is now the  Director of Commercial Construction Services for AUI. Considering that I am primarily a residential architect, their financial commitment speaks to how much they care about the work Dallas CASA is doing in the community.

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