1. Putting their skills, imagination and creativity into
students came up with an unconventional,
kid-focused backyard dream house.
play, OU architecture
Take the word play.
Now add the word house. Put them
together, and you have playhouse,
which conjures up all kinds of
memories for adults and stimulates
the desire of many a child to have
one. One lucky Oklahoma family
has the playhouse of playhouses as
winners in the Playhouse Parade, a
project benefitting the Oklahoma
County Court Appointed Special
Advocates or CASA.
The eight-member student team
from the University of Oklahoma
College of Architecture that de­
signed the playhouse took the word
to heart when it created the whim­
sical structure that children of all
ages could enjoy.
Students Hunter Read, Bud
Hardage, Ryan Williams, Alma
Sandoval, who received credit for
the course, and volunteers Trent
By S usan G rossman
3' 10
P hotos provided

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College of
Architecture
The OU College of Architecture CASA playhouse team members are, standing from left, model shop manager Hunter Roth, student Alma
Sandoval, student Haven Hardage, assistant professor Daniel Butko with wife Debra; student Ryan Williams and Abby Butko in play­
house, and assistant professor Tony Cricchio and student Jason Tyler. Sitting are students Trent Still and Hunter Read.
Still, Aaron Crandall, Jason Tyler and Nicholas Norsworth, under
the tutelage of faculty advisor Daniel Butko, designed and built
the cedar, cypress and acrylic playhouse during the three-week in­
tercession period in May.
“The CASA playhouse project is something that the college
has been involved in for three
years now,” says Butko, an
assistant professor of archi­
tecture. “The entire class fo­
cused on the designing and
building of this playhouse,
which gave our students the
real experience of designing, obtaining approvals and building
something as a team.”
Butko, who teaches materials and architectural acoustics, says
he was extremely impressed with his student crew.
“The playhouse project was an incredible learning oppor­
tunity for me,” says Sandoval. “I had the least experience, and
learned a lot from my peers and professor.”
Adds Williams, “Getting to design and build something from
the ground up was an excellent learning experience, especially
with such a great team. We were fortunate to have everything go
so smoothly given the time frame of the project.”
The students wanted to break the preconceived notion of what
is a playhouse, desiring to stay away from the traditional miniature
house. OU s team instead opted for something designed completely
for playing with climbing areas
and hiding spaces.
The result is a twisted,
stacked spiral playhouse
that allows children to tran­
sition from different spaces
and levels. Most of the ma­
terials were donated, including red cedar salvaged from the
old Parkview Apartments and trees that succumbed during the
December 2007 ice storm, as well as cypress and acrylic panels
that were layered into the playhouse to allow light.
“Our students took an unconventional approach to the use of
these materials to create a structurally sound playhouse,” Butko
says. “There is a real beauty with the grains of the materials,
which were stacked instead of framed, creating a more architec­
tural and interesting structure.”
“CASA is such a heartwarming
organization, and we are so glad to
be supporting such a great cause.”
24 SOONER MAGAZINE

3. The unusual shape and innovative materials, including cypress and acrylic panels, made the OU playhouse
a one-of-a-kind creation. The team of students and volunteers saw the project through from the first brain­
storming design sessions to the hammering of the last nail in place.
continued
ABOVE — Architecture students Hunter Read and Alma Sandoval
begin to see the playhouse design take shape.
LEFT — No one knows a good playhouse like a child. Abby Butko
was more than happy to test the work of her father, assistant pro­
fessor of architecture Dan Butko, and his students at every phase.
FALL 2012 25

4. The playhouse, with all its beckoning angles, platforms and sliding poles, was as much
a learning experience for OU architecture students as it was a dream come true for the
children who now enjoy it as their own backyard castle.
A key component of the design was safety for the children
who would be playing inside. The height and weight of children
who would occupy the space and the total number that might
be climbing at any given time were important considerations.
In addition, material selected needed to be heavy and durable
enough to withstand the harsh elements of Oklahoma weather.
The students also had to consider other situations, such as height
and size restrictions imposed by homeowners associations.
Constructed in the architecture model shop on campus, the
playhouse was moved to Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City,
where it was on display to promote the benefit drawing, and fi­
nally reassembled at the home of the winning family.
Hunter Roth, model shop manager for the college, describes
working on the playhouse with Butko and his students as “a fun
time.”
“I worked with them in the design phase through to milling
the rough cut cedar into dimensional lumber, using the CNC
router to make a perfect connection, then in­
stalling the playhouse in the mall,” he says,
noting that the shop has a small sawmill and
solar kiln that processes trees into lumber.
“The team had about 90 percent of the
idea done by the second day,” Butko says.
“The beauty of this project is that as archi­
tects we tend to draw by hand or with the
computer and therefore the design appears
perfect. This project teaches the reality of the
ebb and flow inherent in a real design pro­
cess, along with understanding how the many
pieces of a construct come together. For a lot
of the students, it was their first experience
at this scale, building something inhabitable
although in a miniature size.”
Aside from the creative approach to the de­
sign ofthe playhouse itself, Butko says the team
learned the give and take involved in working
as a team comprised of many different person­
alities. Decisions had to be made quickly to
stay on schedule, while incorporating sugges­
tions and directions from other faculty advisors
who served on the Design Review Committee
for the project: Charles Graham, dean of the
College ofArchitecture; Joel Dietrich, interim
director of the Division of Architecture; and
assistant professors Stephanie Pilat and Tony
Cricchio, the latter also working on the project
as a faculty supervisor.
While designing and building the playhouse
provided students a real-world architectural ex­
perience, it also offered a lesson in community.
“It might be hard to imagine college stu­
dents being excited about building a kids’
playhouse, but when you see the intricate de­
tail, originality and overall craftsmanship of
the 2012 playhouse, you know there was enthusiasm every step
of the way,” says Lee Ann Limber, executive director CASA of
Oklahoma County, Inc. “The University can take great pride in
the leadership of Professor Butko and the talent exhibited by the
students who participated. By giving a child in our community
the joy of a backyard playhouse, these students are also helping
CASA give an abused child a caring adult and bring that child
one step closer to a ‘forever home.’ It doesn’t get much better
than that.”
Adds Dietrich, “CASA is such a heartwarming organization,
and we are so glad to be supporting such a great cause. It’s also
a great opportunity for students to see a project from the design
concept through a final build.”
Another reward for the team at the end of the project? They
all earned As. W
Susan Grossman is afreelance writer living in Norman.
26 SOONER MAGAZINE