COVID Clubhouse

The “COVID clubhouse” was born out of a need to entertain and educate an architect’s children during the California stay-at-home order. What started as a simple distraction tactic turned into an undertaking to which the result was well worth the effort. As a child, the owner was frequently exploring the constraints of building materials and developing what would become an admiration for the built environment. Encouraged by the opportunity to introduce their kids (5 and 2) to the imaginative world of architecture, the parents entrusted their children to develop the initial concepts of what would become a future playhouse. Ideas were proposed for a "magical" drawbridge, a circus tent, unicorn corral, and really anything a child considers to be necessary, most of which was either financially impractical or would require the assistance of supernatural powers. After re-directing their focus to a more achievable solution, the family started out with their first task, locating the playhouse on their property. Conveniently, the property had recently become a blank slate, having had to remove a pair of dying Juniper trees. The farthest corner of the backyard had a steep sloping bank which would otherwise be deemed “unusable” space. Therefore a decision was made. The playhouse would be elevated on a pier foundation consisting of 6x6 posts and cantilevering beams allowing the floor to float over the bank and provide a unique perch for the kids to daydream of sailing to their own COVID free worlds. Months later, and countless memories generated, the owners completed what has become a vital part of their backyard experience. It is a daily reminder of how influential architecture can be to all aspects of our lives.

As stated prior, the site was prime for improvement. As with most children, their imaginations can only do so much before barren dirt loses its charm. Thus, some inspiration was necessary. The thought of purchasing an “off-the-shelf” play structure had been initially tossed around, but when the memories of building playhouses in his youth came back, the only option was to either “go big or go home.” Since this was already their home, that left “going big.” Of course being the architect, the owner knew the project would still need to at least attempt to comply with “code” and therefore a handful of constraints would be applied. The structure would be limited to 120 square feet and arguably would need to obey typical setbacks. Secondly, being that this would be a structure primarily for kids, the scale of typical features would need to be proportionate for the end user. Therefore, certain elements such as the guardrails would be need to be shorter than required by code, but let's be honest, it’s a playhouse. And so it was set! After final discussions, the children signed the required AIA design contract, and the architect began working on the construction documents. Ok, so maybe there wasn’t an actual contract, but at least there were some simple plans generated to make sure everyone had their say in the design.

Much to the chagrin of their contractor (dad) it became apparent that the children were more interested in spending time with their parents than including themselves in the arduous task of digging footings or carrying heavy materials. That being said, as time passed, each family member started to discover their role in the process. The 5-year-old son became an expert at dancing across floor joists shoeless to procure the ever-elusive disappearing drill bit and tape measure. The 2-year-old daughter found a passion for quality control, testing the weight capacity of every product that made its way in the yard. And the amazing wife played the critical role of safety inspector. In all, it was a thrilling experience for everyone and a creative way to expose the future generation to the world of architecture and construction.

As with any built project, the innate opportunity for the children to gain real-world hands-on experience was endless. Their involvement was at times a hinderance on progress but an inspiration to witness their growing passion. The efforts they put forth cultivated pride in their work and encouragement for what would soon be a place of their own. The children will remember these moments for the rest of their lives.

The deck is constructed of composite materials to ensure the longevity of the structure and safety of the children. Reclaimed steel posts were integrated into the design as a possible mounting location for a future hammock, shade-sail, or lighting. The children found them to be more appropriate for use as a jungle gym or pirate ship mast.

Taking advantage of local vendor relationships the architect was able to source an array of materials that were slated for disposal, providing for an unplanned sustainability aspect and financial savings.