SHM Architects’ CASA Playhouse Is a Kaleidoscope of Light — for Little Ones
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The description of The Lighthaus reads like a luxury home tour’s marketing brochure.
“Though the shell of Lighthaus is made of traditional building materials, we imagine the primary material in this playhouse is light. Transparent exterior panels reveal colorful curtains on the interior, and a circular “stained glass” window filters light into the reading nook. The tower contains a rotating lever that controls the kaleidoscope perched at the top – as the lever is turned, the kaleidoscope spins to cast colorful rays of light into the space below…. In experimenting with color and light, Lighthaus unveils the magic of the material and the immaterial working in harmony.”
Yes, that poetic description written by architect Hila Moyal, AIA, with SHM Architects does indeed describe a playhouse and not some high-end residence. The Lighthaus is just one of the whimsical, unique, over-the-top children’s playhouses on display through Sunday at NorthPark Center. It’s a part of the 29th annual Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses, the signature raffle serving as a fundraiser for Dallas CASA.
The nonprofit, dedicated to advocating on behalf of children in the foster care system, uses the Parade of Playhouses’ proceeds for its work. Each year, building professionals team to build imaginative children’s playhouses, each a creative work on display to the public.
Great Partnership
Together SHM Architects and Coats Homes built the Lighthaus, along with lumber donated by Davis-Hawn. It’s a process the building partners seem to enjoy.
“At SHM Architects we like to be engaged with the community and help non-profits,” said Moyal, who served as the architectural firm’s project lead. “We love Dallas’ CASA’s mission and also to be a part of public art. There’s something really cool about that as designers.”
From the translucent exterior panels and transparent roof panels to the colored, plexiglass window, playing with light is what inspired the house. Featured inside the house’s chimney is a kaleidoscope that is meant to intrigue a child but proved a challenge to the construction team. Strategic thinking and bicycle parts made it work, according to Trevor Reidy, Coats Homes’ director of construction.
“The gear inside was taken from a deconstructed bicycle,” Reidy said. “It really throws off a lot of light and color.”
Not Just Any Playhouse
Specific materials helped bring the architects’ ideas to reality, even if it wasn’t the most cost effective. The resulting playhouse, which will be raffled off for the non-profit, comes from a great partnership, he said.
“I think it was awesome to create a structure we can all be proud of for CASA,” Reidy said. “It’s really a neat playhouse.”
It’s the second year the two firms have created a playhouse. Moyal praised the Coats Home team for its ability to build what the architects wanted.
“Coats was really incredible in taking our designs and making it happen,” she said. “It’s never easy, but it’s always fun. Nothing good is ever super easy.”
SHM Architects is a boutique firm founded in 2005 in Dallas. In 2019, the firm launched a satellite studio in Crested Butte, Colo., to service clients across the Mountain West region.
Coats Homes bring 200 years of home building experience to neighborhoods in Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, and Austin. The company is dedicated to quality design and craftsmanship to create unique homes for its clients, according to company spokesperson Kate Foster.
For the Youngest Clients
Those clients even include the youngest of customers who might want the playhouse of their dreams. Bringing the professionals’ design down to a child-like scale was part of the challenge. Reidy said taking the team’s planned details down to a diminutive size is different, but the homebuilders and the architects brought their same level of quality workmanship to the Lighthaus, even when they haven’t met their client.
“It’s still a lot of sweat, hard work, busted fingers, and splinters, but it’s fun to get our entire team to work together on this,” Reidy said. “Who knows who the end user is going to be? It’s whoever gets the winning ticket.”
Raffle tickets are on sale at NorthPark Center for $5 each or five for $20 through Sunday. Raffle tickets also can be purchased online at DallasCasa.org.
