Architecture Student Wins Mini-Competition with Blanket Fort

First-year architecture student Michael Brooks won an international Instagram competition for the best pillow/blanket fort, sponsored by the Norwegian organization 120 Hours. The mini-competition challenged participants to create a “pillow tower” or “blanket fort.” All students in the School of Architecture course ARCH 1602 Reading Writing Thinking Architecture participated in the challenge, submitting photos and accompanying descriptive text. Overall, the contest received 140 entries.

Michael’s blanket fort answers the question, “How can one leave the house without leaving the house?” Michael describes his project:

“In childhood, blanket forts serve as an escape from the world of adults and their rules, but now they can serve as an escape from other circumstances. The project utilizes a television screen to change the backdrop at the press of a button. By altering our environment from one that is mundane and disheartening to another that is safe and playful can bring us a little hope and joy in this time of struggle.”