Fairy Houses and Forts, Powell Gardens, Kansas City, 2012

Temporary installations, like the Fairy Houses and Forts exhibition at Powell Gardens in Kansas City, running from May 19 til October 7, are a great opportunity to explore new interpretations of old classics like the playhouse.
 

 

The Light Wings Pavilion by DA+UD is constructed of otherwise unusable 2x4 drops, a common waste product of any construction site, to make a larger structure reminiscent of Thoughtbarn's Playhive.  Cut-outs in the roof and walls cast illuminated fairy wings into the space; children can interact with the light, imagining themselves with their own fairy wings.

Denise DiPiazzo of Red Trike Studios built a icy cool house bisected by a tunnel.

Kelly Cook and George Berry created a Fairy Outpost, using many found and natural materials.  I love the addition of community chalkboards!

LaMair Design Studio, Inc. built a pyramid from recycled wood, peeled log poles and translucent plastic "jewels" that filter soft light into the interior.  

 And Norwegian Wood built a fort that hides in plain sight...from mirrored safety glass.  The top of its tower has a giant periscope for viewing the treescape, and there are small holes in the glass for spy viewing.  

[All photos of these great projects are via the Powell Gardens website; I couldn't find website information for the project designers.  If you have them, please let me know!  First found at the Architect's Newspaper blog.]