Designing for Kids: Their Very Own Tree House

by Melissa Rawlins

Architecture, in this case small buildings, do no always have to be designed for adult use, although any design usually has to respond to an adult environment. Anyone who is not considered an adult needs a space of their own just as much as anyone else, and what better place than a tree house. Tree houses allow interaction between children and environmental elements. Designs usually incorporate multiple levels and platforms for exploring, a small enclosed area for shelter, and many attachable activities including swings, ladders, bridges and multiple objects to climb and jump off from. Tree houses allow children to learn coordination, distinguish height differences, learn to conquer fears and promote socialization. They can accommodate anyone from two years of age (with adult supervision) to people in their early teens who want a place to get away, a place to call their own. Although there are tree houses that have been designed for adults to act as offices, outdoor dining areas, and even hotel accommodations, the design process to create something for kids allows the designer a new rejuvenated view of the world which most of us have forgotten.