Aesthetic Imaginaries of Children in the Architecture of Play Spaces: The Wendy House as a Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/hme.23.2026.44895Keywords:
Children’s architecture; Aesthetic imaginary in childhood; Symbolic play; Wendy HouseAbstract
This article examines the influence of architecture on the formation of children's aesthetic imagery, using the Wendy House as a case study. Its aim is to analyze how the design of these playhouses, particularly in the first half of the 20th century, contributed to children's aesthetic experience. It focuses on three key indicators: the connection between the playhouse and its environment, the child-sized scale of the space, and the aesthetic richness of materials and symbolism.
The methodology consisted of a systematic review of historical records and archives, analysing five representative examples of playhouses in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain, selecting those that retained their original characteristics. An in-depth study was conducted on a mid-20th century playhouse in Barcelona, exploring its resignification and restoration in a contemporary context.
The results demonstrate the importance of these three indicators in generating a significant aesthetic experience. The relevance of the connection between the playhouse and its surroundings was evidenced, whether in a carefully designed garden or a natural space that evokes specific imagery. The child-sized scale, adapted to children's dimensions and needs, was essential for playful immersion. Furthermore, the aesthetic richness of the materials and symbolic ornamentation greatly enhances the experience.
The study concludes that these factors are essential in creating children's aesthetic imagery and advocates for the conservation of existing playhouses, recommending the application of their design principles in contemporary projects to foster imagination and children's aesthetic development.Principio del formulario
Downloads
References
Ariès, Philippe. «Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of the Family». Editado por Alferd, Aa Knopf, 1962, 9-477.
Arnavat, Albert. Detalles de: La ceràmica vidriada a l’arquitectura. Editado por Cambra Oficial de la Propietat Urbana de Reus i Comarques ; Direcció General d’Arquitectura i Habitatge de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Cambra Oficial de contractistes de Reus, 1989.
Bachelard, Gastón. La poétique de l’espace. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1957.
Balfour, Beatrice. «Early childhood education, politics, and memory: tracing social imaginaries in Reggio Emilia schools’ diaries of the 1970s». Paedagogica Historica, 2020, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00309230.2020.1769143.
Barmpouti, Ioulia, y Matina Vrettou. «The role of phenomenology in education procedure». En Istanbul, editado por F Uslu, 656-65. Turkey, 2015.
Barrett, Peter, Yufan Zhang, Joanne Moffat, y Khairy Kobbacy. «A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning». Building and Environment 59 (enero de 2013): 678-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BUILDENV.2012.09.016.
Barrie, J. M.. Peter Pan and Other Plays: The Admirable Crichton; Peter Pan; When Wendy Grew Up; What Every Woman Knows; Mary Rose. Editado por Peter Hollindale. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Benito Alonso, Almudena de. «La infancia en casa : la transformación de los dispositivos espaciales domésticos vinculados a la niñez desde la Edad Media hasta la actualidad», 2018. https://doi.org/10.20868/UPM.THESIS.49869.
Brown, Steven. «Role playing in human evolution: from life to art, and everything in between». Frontiers in Psychology 15 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2024.1459247.
Bunge, Mario Augusto. Crisis y reconstrucción de la filosofía. Buenos Aires: Gedisa, 2002.
Carroll, Lewis. Alicia en el País de las Maravillas. Madrid: Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Servicio de Publicaciones, 2015.
Casanovas, Maria Antonia. «Valoració de la ceràmica que revesteix la caseta de nines de la finca ubicada entre el carrer de la Costa. 79 i Ferràn Puig 84». Barcelona, 24 de enero de 2004.
Dewey, John. Art as experience. Editado por George Allen & Unwin Ltd. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. George Allen & Unw…. Vol. VII. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1934.
Frazer, James George., y Robert. Fraser. The golden bough: a study in magic and religion. Editado por Abridged. Abridged. London: Oxford University Press, 1922.
Genís-Vinyals, Mariona, José Luis González Moreno-Navarro, y Albert Casals Balagué. «Protocol per a la redacció de projectes de restauració i d’intervenció arquitectònica». Barcelona, 2018. https://doi.org/B 26786-2018.
Gladieux, Margaret, Nathan Gimness, Bianca Rodriguez, y Jianghong Liu. «Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Environmental Exposures on Neurocognitive Outcomes in Children: Empirical Evidence, Potential Mechanisms, and Implications». Toxics 11, n.o 3 (1 de marzo de 2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/TOXICS11030259.
González Moreno-Navarro, Antoni. La restauració objectiva. Mètode SCCM de restauració monumental. Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona, 1999.
Jekyll, Gertrude. Children and gardens. Antique Collectors’ Club, 1982.
Jiménez Avilés, Ángela María. «Arquitectura escolar La escuela nueva y los espacios para educar». Revista Educación y Pedagogía 21, n.o Education (mayo de 2009): 103-26.
Key, Ellen. The Century of the Child. Editado por G.P. Putnam’s Sons. London: The Knickerbocker Press, 1909.
Lewis, Philippa. Everything you can do in the garden without actually gardening. Frances Lincoln, 2009.
Pallasmaa, Juhani. Los Ojos de la piel : la arquitectura y los sentidos. Barcelona : Gustavo Gili, 2006.
Presti, Paolo, Gaia Maria Galasso, Davide Ruzzon, Pietro Avanzini, Fausto Caruana, Giacomo Rizzolatti, y Giovanni Vecchiato. «Architectural experience influences the processing of others’ body expressions». Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 120, n.o 41 (3 de octubre de 2023): e2302215120. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2302215120/SUPPL_FILE/PNAS.2302215120.SM05.MP4.
Proartsis Conservación y Restauración S.L. «La caseta per infants al carrer Costa 81. Estudi històric». Barcelona, 2023.
Riegl, Alois. El culto moderno a los monumentos. Machado Libros. Madrid: Visor Libros, 1903.
Soldevila, Carles. «Caseta de joguines». d’Ací i d’Allà 128-XVIII (agosto de 1928): 287.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Historia y Memoria de la Educación
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Historia y Memoria de la Educación agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
