A Fall Office Potluck With a Design Challenge on the Side
Our EVstudio Housing team in Colorado Springs traded drawing sets for glue sticks on Friday, October 30th. Our fall office potluck had three parts: a get-to-know-you game, a long lunch, and a building competition. The competition came with one strict rule. Every structure had to fit a golf ball.
Starting with a get-to-know-you game
We opened with a get-to-know-you-game. The team works side by side every day, but a few answers still surprised the room. That set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. As a result, the room was already loud by the time the food came out.
Lunch at our fall office potluck
Next, we pushed the tables into a U and sat down to eat. Everyone signed up for a course, so the spread covered every category.
Kyle Simpson brought mac and cheese, and Ross Prado brought green bean casserole. Chris Butts made chili, while Tom Hoover baked cornbread to go with it. Dawn Streb balanced things out with fresh veggies and dip. Kyle also signed up for the bread course with the simple entry “Bread…”
Appetizers kept the table busy, too. Chris brought chips and dip, and Elena Hepworth brought artichoke dip and meatballs.
Then came dessert. RaeAnn Milla brought apple pie crumble and sparkling apple cider. Tom added lemon bars, and Chris rounded out his triple-duty day with snickerdoodle cheesecake bars.
Sunflower table runners and mini pumpkins finished the room. Many of those decorations ended up as craft supplies later.
The fall craft competition
After lunch, we split into four teams for the main event. Each team had to design and build a fall building that could hold a golf ball. Teams also had to decorate it with fall materials and give it a name.
The supply table held cardboard, paper plates, leaf-print napkins, faux maple leaves, acorns, and mini pumpkins. However, no two teams used them the same way.
Building 1: Home on the Range
Kyle and Dawn built a cottage from a repurposed pumpkin-décor box. A pitched, shingle-printed roof tops the walls, and red and gold maple leaves sit at the ridge.
Building 2: The Shire
Chris and Ross went with an open-sided pavilion. Pumpkin-print paper wraps a tapered roof, and a garland of leaves loops between the columns. A white pumpkin crowns the top.
Building 3: November First
RaeAnn and Tom built an open frame from cardboard and sheer orange fabric. Mini pumpkins anchor each corner, so the structure reads almost like a market stall.
Building 4: Tipi
Larry and Elena wrapped a tall cone in leaf-print napkins and ran crossed wooden poles through the peak. Acorns and pumpkins ring the base on a fall paper plate.
Why we make time for this
Our designers spend most days solving problems on a screen. A cardboard building with a golf-ball rule is the same exercise with faster feedback. Each team gets a program, a constraint, a deadline, and teammates to work it out with.
Mostly, though, it was just a good afternoon with good people.
Want to see what this team designs when the materials are real? Follow along at @evstudiohousing on Instagram.
