Continuing a playful tradition

When reminiscing on a playhouse, what memories come to mind? Playing pirates with a best bud? Exploring with a much loved Teddy? Recalling your favorite flashlight hideout? Projects like Cottages for CASA encourage our team to pull inspiration from the depths of their childhood, letting the imagination flourish into endless possibilities. Upholding the four year design tradition for Cottages for CASAintern architects Chris Dufreche and Paul Morvant from Holly & Smith Architects, APAC developed a functional design with a focus on interactive and imaginative play.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Louisiana architecture suggestive of Creole Cottages and Shotgun homes, Chris and Paul also blended the essence of contemporary transparency; creating a fantasy appeal for kids. “The best part of the design process is designing a structure with minimal guidelines and constraints, then seeing this playful project come to life” Chris states. The fusion of the two styles makes the structure well-suited for any backyard setting.

Collaborating with builder Glenn Alack and Gabriel’s Building Supply for the materials, Paul mentions “The majority of the structure will be constructed with a limited palette of donated material, which was embraced as a driving factor in the design aesthetic of the playhouse. This allowed the design to stay true to the non-profit aspects of the Cottages for CASA program.” Once built, interactive features of the two-level playhouse will include: a steering wheel, rope climb, slide, swing, cubby areas, writable backdrops and an open play space perfect for blossoming creativity. These design features of the playhouse will cultivate a variety of imaginary play for kids of all ages and a lifetime of fun memories to pull inspiration from in their future.