Using the landscape of the Museum as a test site, the V&A invited nineteen architects to submit proposals for structures that examine notions of refuge and retreat. Responding to specific locations in the Museum, the architects explored themes such as study, work, play, performance and contemplation. Seven of the proposals were then selected for construction at full-scale.

These projects promoted an attitude to architecture where to 'dwell' meant something more than simply to find shelter. Each building invited the participation of the viewer. These immersive environments reawakened people's ability to inhabit architectural space on both a physical and an emotional level.

This homely space allows us to gather our thoughts and curl up for a doze and a dream. Beneath the table there exists a space of childhood DIY imagination - a super-sized den that invites adults to re-enter the world of play. Referencing the skewed perspectives and scales of dolls' houses and puppet theatres, this distorted domestic space allows children to feel grown-up, and encourages adults to feel childish.