Animal shelter competition questions

1.What was the concept behind the project?

Everything started from thinking about the problem of stray dogs in the city. Different from other wild animals, dogs are the animals closest to human life. They originated from wolves who, instead of hunting, scavenged for remnants of food near human tribes. Without the survival skills to hunt, a pet dog unfortunately leaves the family and can only become a stray. Therefore, I believe that the solution to the problem of stray dogs in cities can not be simply hunted, but should help dogs complete socialization and better integrate into human social life.

The design of this shelter is also based on the socialization process of dogs, organizing various functional Spaces and providing a large number of activity venues for interaction.In appearance, the intervention of a wall divides a happy land for stray dogs. I hope the dogs can have a good life inside the wall, and can also smoothly walk out of the wall and enter the new family.

2.What was the intent behind the organization of elements across various levels (Architectural, Site,

Urban)?

Due to the emptiness and flatness of the site and its surroundings, the building itself was not intended to stand out too much. On one side of the road, a whole brick wall is used to deal with the line of sight. The linear spatial organization also makes the use of the site less fragmented.

3.How many iterations were tried to arrive at the final outcome?

There are about three stages of iterative attempts. First of all, in the way of spatial organization, choose a single line mode, multi-function coincidence and interweaving cluster mode. Secondly, there are some entanglements in the relationship between dog living space and functional space. I try to deal with the connection between the space used by good people and the space used by dogs. Finally, for the design of the site landscape, different segmentation methods were also tried to meet the needs of different stages of dog use of the site.

4.Which methods of design investigation?

On the one hand, the stray experience of stray dogs is analyzed, and on the other hand, the survival resources provided by the surrounding environment for stray dogs are analyzed.

5.What/How were the materials chosen?

The building is supported mainly by brick walls and steel columns. The roof is covered with corrugated panels. Considering the surrounding architectural style and building volume, I used brick as the main material. The texture of the brick surface, which is different from industrial style materials such as concrete, provides a more natural and warm living environment for dogs.

6.What is the expansion plan of the project?

The land use of the project is roughly divided into two parts. Part of the core is behind the wall, which provides a variety of services and venues for the dogs. In addition to the delineated square, there is also a large area of woods and grass, hoping to provide the surrounding residents to walk their dogs for entertainment. The other part is in front of the wall, near the road, and can be used as a small park or square to gather people

7.How will the project transform with the passing time? etc.

Ideally, the project will evolve from a shelter for stray dogs, to a dog park for dog lovers, and eventually to an urban landscape for dogs. First of all, as a stray dog shelter, the project should fulfill the mission of a stray dog home. Over time, combined with the design of the dog park on the site, the project can attract nearby dog lovers. The gathering of dog lovers can bring more functions to the site besides the shelter of stray dogs. Finally, in a more distant time, as the building ages and its functions change, the project can evolve into a part of the urban park with its simple form and environment. The materials of the building itself, and the small and flexible space, can help the building better withstand the erosion of time.