Time to unveil this year's playhouse theme and design. Considering that entries to the 2017 Playhouse Design Competition are due in just under 2 weeks, time to show people what I'm doing ...

When you think of a playhouse that children would love to play in, don’t you automatically think of grasshoppers" I know I do …Playhouse entries for the 2017 Life of an Architect Playhouse Design Competition are starting to roll in so I figured I had better get my design up on site so that all the other grasshopper themed playhouses don’t think I stole their idea. Do you know what a grasshopper house is" Well, you should google it if you really want to know but the short version is that it is a small house, typically made out of tiny pieces of bamboo, that people put their pet grasshoppers. This is primarily a Chinese custom but not so much that I didn’t know what they were when I started my design process.I have now designed so many playhouses that I am coming up with my own rules – just to keep things interesting and challenging. There are a few standards rules that I follow in the design process in every one of my playhouse designs, but there are some additional restrictions I have placed on myself.The number one rule I have is that these playhouses can not be completely enclosed. It gets quite hot here in Dallas and I want natural circulation and airflow moving through this playhouse. Dehydration and Heatstroke are not as much fun as they sound...