The five cubby houses shortlisted for the 2016 Cubby House Challenge raised more than $100,000 for youth homelessness prevention charity, Kids Under Cover following a public auction.
Designed and constructed by leading building and architectural firms for the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, the five cubby houses included Pl-yground by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design and Hartman Homes; Duplay by Archsign, James Hardie, CasProperty and Gratton; Cubey House by Arkhefield and Grocon; Fun House by Fairhaven Homes; and The Relic by Porter Davis Homes.
The Best Architectural Design award was won by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design and Hartman Homes for the Pl-yground cubby house, which featured a ball pit, lavender-scented walls and blackboard walls with the highlight being a ladder and fireman’s pole connecting the cubby’s levels.
Design highlights of the shortlisted cubby houses included a climbing net, interior turf and a chalkboard hatch door (The Relic); brightly-coloured 3D pyramid wall cladding (Fun House); pixelated version of a treehouse inspired by the Minecraft game (Cubey House); and a dual-use cubby house with two bright colour schemes (Duplay).
The cubby houses were evaluated by an expert judging panel including architect Peter Maddison, host of Grand Designs Australia.
The Relic cubby house sold for the highest price at $17,200, while the rest of the cubbies were auctioned off for a combined total of $63,800. A generous $40,000 donation brought the total amount raised to more than $100,000.
Image: Pl-yground by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design and Hartman Homes, the winner of the prize for Best Architectural Design. Photo courtesy of the 2016 Cubby House Challenge
