This Is What Happens When Top Architects Design Doll Houses

A 750mm square plinth is a pretty feeble plot of land for a house-building project. Its a good thing the clients were pint-sized because thats all the room architects were given by U.K.-based regeneration property developers, Cathedral Group, who recently commissioned 20 architects and designers to create whimsical dolls houses to raise money for KIDS, a U.K. charity for disabled children. Other than miniscule proportions the only design requirement was the integration of a unique feature to make life easier for a disabled child.

Cathedrals project was inspired by the dolls' house Edwin Lutyens designed for The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1922: in his nod to innovation he used a traditional dolls house to illustrate his vision for the future of architecture and interior design. Luckily for KIDS, Cathedrals architects have been equally innovative--an Elvis-inspired treehouse, crab claws folded inside a paper theater, and a slightly treacherous Danish playground are just a few of the unique building designs. The tiny houses are slated for auction on November 11, 2013 at Bonhams, London and Cathedral have pledged to raise 100,000 for the childrens charity.

Many of the houses are collaborations between British agencies and artists--Zaha Hadid, ShedKM, Guy Hollaway, Amanda Levete, FAT, in collaboration with Grayson Perry and Chris Ofili to name drop a couple--but some Americans came out to play in the form of RAADs architects, better known in the U.S. for their adventurous LowLine design, the sub-street-level version of NYCs elevated park system, The High Line. We caught up with a few of the architects involved in the dolls house project to talk about their design inspiration and how theyve integrated disability-provision into their tiny houses.

The Grimm House: RAAD, in collaboration with artist Lara Apponyi

RAADs James Ramsey came late to the tea party: his agency was invited to participate one week before models were due. Creating a tactile version of an illustrated fairytale was the core of Ramseys design. The experience of reading an unnerving Grimms tale late at night by yourself is so central to so many childhoods, Ramsey says. We thought it would be amazing to share that strange sensation with children without sight. The MDF and plaster structure is covered in a film of embossed paper where Ramseys punched a braille rendition of Hansel and Gretal onto the surface and if you dig around youll find some creepy bones hiding inside the structure. The Grimm House is a blank canvas by design, he says. We asked, how can we create an object that is not meant to be seen? How can we communicate the sensations of an illustrated fairy tale book, simply by engaging the finger tips.

Haptic House: Dexter Moren Associates

The Haptic Housess series of boxed rooms, treated with different interiors, colors and sensors and stacked on a mirrored base, creates an illusion of height, Dexter Moren Associates Christopher Leonard says. Unlike conventional doll house designs the 360 degree access means there are no defined rules of how it should be played with, he says. We focused on sensory play encouraging children to look, listen, touch and feel, bringing the house to life by stimulating the primary senses. The sleek design comes complete with ring-able doorbell and motion-activated light panels.

Coral House: Studio Myerscough, Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan

The coral reef Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgans dolls house stands upon took 42 hours to 3-D print; to add to the magic all the rooms in the house hold tiny replicas of furniture and items the two designers own in real life. One day I just sat down, got my pens out, and made the sketch of our house and Luke wrote the poem (about a coral reef). Then we started making it, says Morag Myerscough who commissioned artists Chantal Joffe and Ishbel Myerscough, poet Lemn Sissay, and even her mother, textile artist Betty Fraser Myerscough, to create objects for the house. We like telling tales, she says. Every piece has its own story but was ready to have a new story made about it. Myerscough spent three days non-stop hand-painting the outside of the house--the floors rotate around a central plastic tube creating a dynamic structure. The height of the house was important so children can reach all of it at all levels, she says. Kids can make their favorite things to put in the space and make their own stories.

A miniature domestic world: Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands

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This Is What Happens When Top Architects Design Doll Houses