Three Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture students spent part of their summer building a playhouse to be sold at the Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses competition.
The competition raises funds for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving abused and neglected children in the area.
“The reason I enrolled in the CASA playhouse course is because it is for a good cause,” said Skye Reid, one of the students in the class. “Also, this was the perfect opportunity for something I really believe is helping me learn in a more hands on environment.”
In just a few weeks, the students designed and built the playhouse, entitled “The Tower of Shadows,” to capture a childlike perspective and sense of wonder. The playhouse uses stacking layers cut to create unique interior spaces.
“This course is a good experience for students who want to gain a better understanding of how things are built in real life,” said Reid.
“Most of our time in the studio is designing in a 3D program, but this class gives you the opportunity to work with different materials and connections to make something come into life at full scale.”
The project is offered as a course at the end of the spring semester, and was taught by Francesco Cianfarani and Garrett Stowe this year. The course name is ARCH 4970: CASA Playhouse Parade 2019 Design and Build Course.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture announces John Harris as Associate Dean for Research ad interim, effective Aug. 25, 2026, until the permanent position is filled.
Gibbs College is pleased to announce the 2026 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. These individuals were recognized by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be honored during the Celebration Banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s student journal, has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to support its next two issues, “Pause” (Volume IX) and “React” (Volume X).
