Kids and adults alike were wowed by this year’s Cubby House Challenge® at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden show. The annual auction of spectacular cubby houses created by leading Australian design and architecture firms saw a range of whimsical, futuristic, functional and exciting designs battle it out for the award categories.
This year, the winner of Australia’s Best Cubby went to ‘Glowb’ by Playce and Agency of Sculpture. The ‘Glowb’ Cubby features a range of interactive elements including:
- Artificial grass
- Central, glowing lights
- Interactive, colourful lighting
- Net hammocks
- Star gazing space
- Chill-out space
- Wacky mirrors
- Internal chalk wall
- Self-draining dome
- Magnetic and bead play
- Structural frame sound tubes
The winning design was auctioned off at a record-breaking $26,000, breaking all previous years’ records. The remaining cubbies auctioned secured a combined $66,500 for the charity, and the total amount will be met by a dollar-for dollar grant of $70,000 by Gandel Philanthropy – far exceeding the target of $150,000 of funds raised for the night.
CEO of Kids Under Cover, Jo Swift was thrilled with the result, “This year we have had an incredible response by not only the building and architectural teams, but also the generous bidders who have broken all records from previous years,” she said. “The funds raised from the auction of the cubbies, and from the generous donation of Gandel Philanthropy, will be directly invested into preventing youth homelessness through our relocatable studio and scholarship programs.
The challenges other awards went to:
Best Interior | ‘Glowb’ by Playce & Agency of Sculpture
Best Architecture| ‘Kooky Cubby’ by FMSA Architecture & RMIT d__Lab
Most Interactive/Imaginative | ‘MySpace’ by Grimshaw Architecture
Kids Choice | ‘MySpace’ by Grimshaw Architecture
Australia’s Best Cubby | ‘Glowb’ by Playce & Agency of Sculpture
Top Auctioneer | Glen Coutinho, RT Edger for securing $26,000 for the sale of ‘Glowb’
For more information, visit the Kids Under Cover website at www.kuc.org.au
