Youth homelessness prevention charity Kids Under Cover has announced the finalists of the Cubby House Challenge, with the five shortlisted teams to now compete for top honours at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in March 2017.
The annual Cubby House Challenge received a record number of proposals from design, building and architectural firms across Australia. The top five successful teams who will now compete in the Cubby House Challenge are:
- FMSA Architecture in collaboration with Upstream Studio and Aurecon;
- Grimshaw Architecture, the Melbourne branch of the international architecture agency, in partnership with Warrick Home Builders;
- Playce, Melbourne playspace design and landscape architectural consultants partnering with Agency of Sculpture;
- Porter Davis, Melbourne house designers and homebuilders; and
- Probuild, one of Australia’s largest construction experts
The next stage of the competition will require each of the five teams to finalise their designs and build the cubby houses in time for display, judgment and auction in March 2017.
The 2017 Cubby House Challenge jury includes inaugural judge Peter Maddison, host of Lifestyle Channel’s Grand Designs Australia; Joe Snell, architect and judge on Channel 7’s House Rules; interior designer Fiona Lynch; Lucy Feagins, editor of The Design Files; and Alice Stolz, National Managing Editor of Domain.
The judging panel will be assisted by children to decide the winners of various award categories including Australia’s Best Cubby, Melbourne’s Best Cubby, Best Architectural Cubby, Best Interior Designed Cubby, Most Imaginative Cubby and Kid’s Choice.
Jo Swift, CEO of Kids Under Cover explained that the shortlisted architectural and building teams were selected this year based on their passion for, and interest in building the best places for children. All the finalists have proposed incredible ideas, and shown a deep commitment to the cause, she added.
