Building the Dream…House…in Pink…

Posted July 17th, 2011 | Permalink

Have you heard about Architect Barbie yet?

Yep, she’s an architect now. I’ve been following the introduction of Architect Barbie since she was first announced this past winter. I came across the announcement through the AIA website (American Institute of Architects). The AIA helped Mattel create an Architect Barbie that is “authentic to the career”.

Mattel says it created Architect Barbie so girls can imagine designing their own dream house. In its marketing messaging for the doll, Mattel calls Barbie ‘’ready to tackle the daily responsibilities of a real architect in or out of the office.’’ (AIA)

Since then, the AIA created a competition for architects: design Architect Barbie’s dream home. The requirements for the design were pretty clear:

A sleek, smart home office is important for any doll. With more than 125 careers, I need a spacious office that can accommodate my hi-tech gadgets for meetings, client visits and presentations.
I love to entertain so I need living and dining areas that are open and connected allowing for mingling and easy entertaining from one room to the other.
The kitchen should be functional and fabulous with top-of-the-line appliances—large countertops and lots of space to cook. I also love natural light in my kitchen so windows are critical. I am quite the chef you know!
As the original “fashionista,” you can imagine how large my closet needs to be! I have unlimited fashions and accessories, so I need lots of shelving, shoe racks and a closet that can be easily organized – getting ready can’t be a chore every day.
My dream bathroom: a large, stylish space accessible from the master bedroom and other areas.
I love animals and I have as many as five pets (including a giraffe) around at any given time. A big backyard is very important so they can roam and play!
As the ultimate “California girl” from Malibu, I am all about location, location, location! My house must have fantastic views of my fabulous backyard and overlook the ocean.
(AIA)

Architects were asked to create a home with 5-6 rooms and provide 1 data page, 2 floor plans, 1 elevation and 1 section through the body of the house.

The AIA received almost 30 entries. They have now narrowed the choice to 5 submissions and have put the final vote out to the public. I reviewed them all very carefully today. In order to follow along with me, you’ll have to use the individual links I’ve created with the submission #’s. Then you can view them all here to place your official vote (voting ends Aug 1).

Here are my thoughts on the 5 designs. I won’t tell you which one got my vote. I’d love to know which gets yours though!

#30657968
I love the dramatic, glass staircase. I love the photovoltaic panels shaped like lily pads. Really, I think I like anything shaped like a lily pad. How friendly. My fave thing about this submission is the research that obviously went into it; using the initial 1959 swimsuit for inspiration, the use of pink and turquoise, dresses designed by a 14 year old, specific paintings on the walls. Who wouldn’t want a “vegetation wall” full of herbs in the kitchen?
The catwalk hallway is also very cool. Okay, the big plastic funnels in the yard are just weird. “Dream pink, live green”

#30657825
I think of all, this one impressed me the least. I like the shape of the house and all of the “green” elements. I like the gardens and bike parking. I like the stairway – it looks glamorous. But, the bedroom and bathroom look quite small and ordinary. I think the saltwater pool will wreak havoc on Barbie’s luscious locks. And where does the giraffe live?

#30658049
I LOVE that this person actually designed Barbie’s Dream House – a dollhouse!  I love that they thought through the packaging and the set up and how a little girl could play with it. This is the quintessential Barbie toy.
I like that the little owner actually has to ‘build’ Barbie’s house and she can do it in several ways. I like the “B” frames (earthquake safety) and the “Velcro-backed art on the “fuzzy” pink walls.”  Who doesn’t want fuzzy pink walls? This one stands out to me because they thought to make a toy, and it’s a well-designed and super appropriate toy.

#30657949
Whoa. Cool. This could be made into a toy too, don’t you think? It could be built to split in half, just as it’s shown, opening on hinges. No need for dressers here; Barbie has this wild, huge, rotating, computerized, column closet thing. Neat. She has a library. That’s good. Is that a Thos. Moser bench I see in the living room being used as a coffee table? She only has a scooter, eh? No driveway or parking? I think she needs one parking space for Ken and friends. I love that Barbie is shown in all her best duds. I love that she is described as “powerful”. We all know she’s bigger than Oprah.

#30657947
Okay, I had a little trouble sorting this one out, but once I got it, I liked it.
I like the idea of the long driveway “intensifying the experience of arrival.”
I dig the runway, the movie screen curtains, the two-story closet and the slides to the pool. I also really like the overall look of the exterior of this building, and the site itself. I think I could live here. Even though I’m not Barbie. I’m not sure where my giraffe would live though.

What’s your favorite? Which one would you choose? Are you in love with the idea that you could touch a button and your outfit would arrive at your door, ready to wear? Do you want to have a full herb garden in your kitchen every day? Maybe you think designing a toy was the wrong way to go? Or was that the only submission that did it right? Can’t wait to hear what you have to think?