Cardboard Cubby

super colossal cubby house

It started life as a stand at the Sydney Design and Decoration trade show that was held last week. Six architects and designers were asked to produce a ‘Sustainable Room’ (sustainability have you heard of it?) as a centrepiece of the show.

To be honest, I am not really sure what they were after, but we produced a prototype for a flat-pack cubby house, made of cardboard that would could be recycled easily once it is no longer fun, or when it rains, whichever comes first.

This version is probably a little larger than it needs to be and ultimately we are planning a version that will come flat packed in a size that fits in the boot of a car, is ultra cheap and easy to construct.

Perhaps we could embed the cardboard with seeds and as it slowly disintegrates in the rain and early morning dew, it starts a new growth, planting dense native shrubbery where the cubby house once stood.

super colossal cubby house

(Photo by Roger D’Souza)

super colossal cubby house

(Photo by Roger D’Souza)

super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house

Following the show, we dismantled it into its seven tubes, put in the back of a truck where it got a little battered around, drove it over to my sister’s house where it found its second home. We built it, hung out inside for the afternoon, drew pictures of robots on the walls and clouds in the tubes.

super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house

Here is some ‘advertising material’ we produced for the trade show stand.

super colossal cubby house


super colossal cubby house

The material for the cubbyhouse was sponsored by Visy who supplied the cardboard and Dulux who gave us the paint that we used on the inside during the trade show.


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21 responses to “Cardboard Cubby”

  1. cw Avatar

    finally something to make me want to have children! wowowow.

  2. Juan Avatar
    Juan

    This is really neat. How are you able to find giant pieces of cardboard? I’ve never seen cardboard so big.

  3. Marcus Avatar

    Hi Juan,

    The cardboard was supplied by Visy – they are a cardboard manufacturer in Australia and have rather large bits of cardboard to work with.

    And their manufacturing plant is quite extraordinary…

  4. yeohgh Avatar

    very awesome idea, kids will love it!

  5. Able Parris Avatar

    where was this when I was a kid?!!

  6. Jeremy Avatar
    Jeremy

    Pretty cool. Does anyone in the US make cardboard that large?

  7. Marcus Trimble Avatar

    MVRDV? Or OMA? Although these projects are favourites of ours, they were somewhere in the recesses of our minds when were making this cubby house.

    At the forefront were, Sol Lewitts’ merged towers of paint, and the Museum of Cantabria by Mansila + Tunon. These truncated towers, share a similar idea of generating complex spatial situations through the merging of elements as opposed to making discrete formal urban gestures.

  8. Maria Avatar
    Maria

    where can I get one?

  9. Patrick Avatar
    Patrick

    Yes, it’s cool, but the idea of using anything once and throwing it away just doesn’t hold up anymore. Embedding it with seeds is a good place to start. Why not make it from cardboard that is already recycled?

  10. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    My father used to take us over to the appliance store and ask for a used refrigerator box. We cut a hole in the side for a door. Worked great.

  11. Jimi Avatar
    Jimi

    When our offices were remodeled, they had stacks of flattened boxes from new furniture to dispose of. I took ten of these home and put them in the garage.

    Now every so often, I take one out, tape it back into a box, cut out a door and put it in the back yard. I let my kids paint it (using large jars of pastel poster paint and rollers) and play in it until it wears out.

    They make a mess with the paint, but that is half the fun!.

    The “house” lasts a few days or a few weeks depending on the weather, then it goes into the recycling bin. The poster paint eventually washes off the lawn and goes harmlessly into the ground.

    I call this “intermediate recycling.” It gives the product an additional intermediate purpose before recycling.

    My kids call it FUN!

  12. Michael Avatar

    You could make this project out of coroplast, which is very similar to corrugated cardboard, but it is made out of polypropylene. It can usually be found in signmaking shops for about $20US for a 4×8′ sheet. Still recyclable, but much more durable, waterproof, and it is even somewhat translucent.

  13. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    It’s just cool. And if it really comes small enough to fit into the trunk of a car and doesn’t cost a lot, then here’s my only question – When’s it coming out so I can BUY it???

  14. Gerardo Ortiz Avatar
    Gerardo Ortiz

    i want to know how much does it cost?, and where can i buy it?

  15. Marcus Avatar

    Jon – yes that is a very cool house. We came across it recently – but long after we made our cubby house. Truncated cone forms, it appears, are popular…

  16. john Avatar
    john

    Would it be possible to give better detailed instructions on making it? Would love to buy one, but until then….

    John in Spain

  17. PoectNott Avatar
    PoectNott

    Was ist das?

  18. nathu Avatar

    I think it’s cool, and it would be super cool if it could be constructed with a material like the one MICHAEL has suggested – polypropylene. It might be more fitting to the ‘Sustainable Room’ theme.

  19. Waterproofing Avatar

    This seems pretty usable. But I am wondering, is it meant to be only for kids (assuming the kid in the pics) or is there some more serious idea?

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