‘Hide and Peak’ Dallas CASA Playhouse Is Like Origami Come to Life
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Anyone lucky enough to get the playhouse named Hide and Peak, a part of the 30th annual Parade of Playhouses, will be set up for hours of imaginative and creative fun.
“Everything was based on pure play,” said architect Patricio Sanchez, part of the team working on this unique playhouse that is part of the annual Parade of Playhouses event that starts Friday and continues through June 29 at NorthPark Center.
This professionally designed playhouse is one of the entries in the Parade of Playhouses, which has become Dallas CASA’s signature fundraiser over the past three decades. The event puts on public display custom-built children’s playhouses. Local architects, builders, and organizations design, build, and donate the playhouses. The houses are available for public viewing for 17 days, then a raffle determines which lucky families will take them home.
Maximum Fun
Creating this playhouse is a diversion from the designer’s normal work at Gensler, a global design firm with offices in 100 countries. Sanchez usually concentrates on high-rise residential and office building projects, and his professional experience spans residential, office, mixed-use, and retail developments from design to construction. His background includes 3D modeling, shop and fabrication drawings, project management, and research and development.
Obviously, he’s successful at this work in the adult world, but working on this playhouse allowed him to focus on children. It was a definite departure from his regular work. He enjoyed the collaborative process with his professional partners, and they went about this seriously, but children’s play was always top of mind. This serious work with the construction firm Structure Tone Southwest all pointed toward the goal — fun.
“We went with a playhouse that felt alive,” the architect said. “The kids can explore, interact, and have maximum fun.”
Like Origami
The construction and design firms collaborated for weeks, ensuring their unique design, Hide and Peak, would appeal to a wide range of children. Sanchez likened the final product to origami because he says the house feels like “it’s moving and unfolding.”
The playhouse was designed with a clean look on the outside where children can swing and climb. The interior, where a rainbow of colors spiral upward, feels more secluded and imaginative, the designer said.
“There’s no single way to use this playhouse, so every time a child goes to use this playhouse, they can use it in different ways,” Sanchez said of this design. “It’s very playful.”
Since 1996, Parade of Playhouses has distributed 370 playhouses, with 10 more planned this year. The event raises awareness for Dallas CASA, whose trained community volunteers advocate for foster children in court. NorthPark Center has hosted the event all 30 years where it attracts more than a million visitors each summer.
Year after year, design firms, construction companies, and suppliers come together to create these over-the-top playhouses for the non-profit which benefits children in less-than-perfect domestic situations. The companies collaborate to build the playhouses of which they are proud, will raise funds for the cause, and appeal to potential clients.
“Supporting Dallas CASA in this way is a passion project for us,” said Tyler Ross, a vice president for Structure Tone Southwest. “Both personally and as a firm we are honored to be able to support the mission that Dallas CASA is engaged with and supporting our community.”
Lucky Winner
Raffle tickets to win a playhouse are available during the event for $5 each or five for $20 on the Dallas CASA website at dallascasa.org or at NorthPark Center. Winners will be selected randomly on June 29, the Parade of Playhouse’s final day.
Sanchez is proud of his team’s playhouse, which he likened to a work of art, and he is also proud of being part of the community effort for the non-profit’s annual fundraiser benefiting children.
“It’s really important and meaningful to get together and give back,” he said.
