Spillman Farmer Architects has won first place in the inaugural Playhouse Competition and Design Showcase, organized by the American Institute of Architects Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter (AIA EPA).
AIA EPA, ArtsQuest, and Christkindlmarkt sponsored the competition, in which leading Lehigh Valley architects and student teams designed and built one-of-a-kind children’s playhouses. The structures, on display during Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, are currently being raffled off on behalf of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley.
Spillman Farmer’s winning concept, SlatHouse (pictured), was inspired by the kind of minimal shelters that kids build out of cardboard boxes, table tops, blankets, or string. The house is constructed with thermally-modified, chemical-free wood that is insect- and mold-resistant.
Other participants included Ryan G. Welty Architecture & Design of Whitehall, P.A., with its Playhouse; and the Lehigh University Department of Art, Architecture and Design, Bethlehem, with its Imaginarium.
