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He is more used to building exclusive, minimalist buildings.

However, New York architect Ben Pell has turned his hand to a very different kind of structure - a pillow fort.

Following exhaustive testing with his two children, he has revealed the best way to construct a living room hideaway.

New York architect Ben Pell found there were three different types of fort - tunnel forts, buttress forts and compound forts.

Writing on the blog Fatherly, he explained there are three different types of fort - tunnel forts, buttress forts and compound forts.

He also believes that many children manage to trap themselves inside forts.

"Kids, left to their own devices, pile up pillows and then figure out how to get inside. 

'Or, they'll build it around themselves and then they can't leave without destroying it.'

Pell, who in his day job work for Pell Overton, urged children to think like an architect.

He warned prospective builders should first sort the available pillows based on which ones are best for walls and which ones are a good for laying on inside the finished fort. 

Over the past twenty years, he has worked on a variety of projects, and also taught on the design faculty of the Syracuse University School of Architecture and the Pratt Institute, and has been a regular member of the Yale School of Architecture faculty since 2005.

However, for this project, he believes that using the available space is key. 

'Tunnel forts are usually too small to get into, so that's what my kids build if they want their own little fort. 

Tunnel forts are usually too small for adults to get into - something children seem to prefer

'With a buttress or compound fort, you're not limited by the furniture, but you might have to move things around a little bit to create space.'

He also advised people to take advantage of any unusual materials that happen to be nearby - such as the family dog. 

"He's a lazy old lab, so sometimes we just tuck the sheets under him while he's sleeping. 

'They make good weights.' 

A classic tunnel fort designed by Pell's two children. Tunnel forts are usually too small to get into, so that's what my kids build if they want their own little fort,' he said.