Design for "Living with Pets"

Abstract

In New Zealand, many people share or would like to share, their homes with their pets. However, most apartment buildings in New Zealand are unfriendly to pets. This project is about a medium-density residential housing interlaced with a mixed-use community, especially for pets and pet lovers. According to the research and statistics, the two most popular pet species in New Zealand are cats and dogs. Thus, I have chosen these two species of pets as my animal clients in this project. This thesis is primarily been concerned with three themes. Firstly, the thesis design is about a co-living environment for both humans and pets. For myself and many others dogs and cats are more like family members than our belongings. In this design project, pets are seen as just as important as people. All of their different sizes and spatial performances needed to be considered very carefully. Secondly, architects think they know what people need and like in domestic life, but most architects and their clients barely care about what pets need. One of the most important concerns in this project is to follow pets' natural behaviour and to understand what they truly like and need. The third key theme in this thesis is the idea of 'Nature' as an important element in the lives of both humans and animals. Although pet dogs and cats are domestic animals, they carry with them the residue of their wild origins. Nowadays, people live in the city and care less about wilderness. This thesis reconsiders the roles of nature and wilderness in domestic life. The thesis design aims to help people and pets to join with nature even just in their apartment units. In other words, the thesis invites 'nature' into their homes. Finally, after these discussions and research, I have developed a co-living design with features of a pet-friendly, livable and natural environment.