Weekly overview

I searched some design cases about pets, finding problems of pets and people in urban life. I finished review 1 and got feedbacks from my classmates and tutors, and then rethought this selection of designing for pets.

Identification of the theme

I love dogs and my attention is always drawn to them whenever I walk down the street. My ideas came from an accident happened on me. I stepped on some dog poo. It was a terrible day, but it seems like I am not the only one suffered this. I started to think about the relationship between people dog & environment.

“The city is increasingly recognised as a complex more-than-human space where the lives of humans and non-humans entwine in consequential ways. Human–animal encounters constitute sometimes convivial and sometimes challenging relations that reflect wider pleasures and tensions in urban society. ” –Lesley Instone, Jill Sweeney

Dogs have been with humans for 14,000 years and the environment in which they and people live is constantly changing. Dog waste poses a real challenge to urban sanitation. I would like to do something about man’s best friend and to think about the future of how people and dogs will live together and what interesting ways there will be to walk dogs.

The type of my project

Pet Friendly Public Pet Services Community

Goals of my project

-A combination of indoor and outdoor space designed to make dog walking fun

-A public space for people and pets in the community

-Dog grooming, dog spa, dog school, dog cafe

-Information Points for Adopting Animals

-Pet waste is converted into bioenergy for electricity and fertiliser production

Walking dogs is a daily activity for many families with dogs. Edinburgh’s weather changes relatively quickly, with high amounts of rain and shorter daylight hours in the winter months,  it will be useful to provide them with a warm and comfortable space to do so.

Research

–What are the dangers of dog poo?

• Dog poo is not good for the soil
• Pollutes the environment
• Causes problems for others
• Spreads bacteria

“Some online statistic about the dog problem in the UK:

An estimated 880 tonnes of dog poo are deposited in our parks every day – 68 bin wagons’ worth

Around 520,000 of dog owners admitted leaving poo unbagged on the ground – equivalent to 35.3 tonnes

Approximately 250,000 people leave bagged poo elsewhere (e.g. hanging from a tree, on a post, or under a bush) – equivalent to 17.7 tonnes

It would take three to four refuse lorries to shift the poo left by irresponsible dog owners daily

People who have become dog owners since the pandemic are less likely to pick up their pets’ poo”

From : https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/news/lock-down-puppy-boom-leads-giant-poop-problem-countrys-parks

– What are the dog poop related policies in Edinburgh?

“Pay a fixed penalty notice

Any person who is in charge of a dog must pick up and get rid of the dog’s fouling, by putting it in any litter bin or your own landfill bin. Fixed penalty notices of £80, under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, will be issued to those caught not picking up after their dog in any public place, including

• footpaths and roads
• parks, including football or rugby pitches
• shared land like back greens, stairs, and closes
• any open land that the public has access to.”      — From The city of Edinburgh council

– What methods are used in various countries to combat the problem of dog poop in cities?

In parts of the United States, there are companies that measure DNA from dog poop, and these companies hold dog owners accountable by tracking their dogs, which provides the basis for fines.

In many areas of Germany there are a large number of dog schools and only dogs that have passed the dog school test are allowed on the streets. The problem of dog poop is tackled on the level of education for dogs and dog owners.

The streets in Japan are very clean, which is inseparable from the country’s thoughtful and meticulous concept of raising pets. Think about each other more in everything, and the problem of “raising pets and disturbing the people” naturally does not exist.

– What designs are there around dogs?

Dog grooming

Dog spa

Dog café

Dog school

Stray Dog Centre

Case studies

Precedent 1 :  NOVA PETS/ SAY ARCHITECTS

Interior Designers: say architects
Area : 450 m²
Year : 2018

The project start with an idea of creating a new type of pet store, a place where people could really social with their pets, one could order two separate meals or drinks for one and one’s pet, also could just chat and drink coffee with friends while waiting for pet bathing if one want to.

There is a lot of design from the dog’s point of view in this case, such as a door with a window hole suitable for the dog’s height and an opening at the bottom of the stairs where the pet can easily be seen.

Plans

 

The functions and space:

Reception

Cashier

Pet Playground

Cafe Area

Sunken Cafe

Storage

Souvenir

Activity RM

Display Corridor

Pet Hotel

Toilet

Pet Toilet

Kitchen

VIP
Swimming Pool

Cosmetology

Photography Set

Office

Precedent 2: THE HEYTEA PET-FRIENDLY THEME STORE

The designer tried to implant a certain amount of humanistic and social care in this commercial space. The project is located in Shenzhen Luohu Xihui City. As a young immigrant city, people are more eager for emotional comfort in a defamiliarized society. Based on this, the designer defines the space as: companion. The “accompaniment” refers to pets and metaphors people.

The functions and space:

Pet stop
Pet feeding point
Pet waste bin
Pet interactive seat
Main entrance
Check out counter
POP UP space
Community pet list

Precedent 3: NOBLEPETS

Size: 183 sqm
Time: 12.2019
Designers: Nazodesign Studio

https://www.gooood.cn/noblepets-store-china-by-nazodesign-studio.htm

Review 1 feedback from classmates

-idea of reward scheme: how will this be recorded?

-feels quite broad-how can you make it more specific rather than a dogs’ space?

-every dog is fed differently so its waste will affecrt the environment differently.

-maybe look into dog nurserys/dog cares?

-pet care post pandemic

Financial aspect of petcare

-could look into a psycnology danimalse now

-they are conditioned to certain places/spaces

-interesting topic, but how could you use it in interior design?

-who are you design for?

-pet friendly public pet services

-how do other countries keep clean street? As some places do have really clean streets.

-designing for animals

-relation between animals and people

-animal food

-consider more around dog ownership post pandemic

-who are owner demographic.

-need more reason around dog needs.

-consider how many dogs you need to cater for

-training

-reward system for

-very clear logic with generally push the ideas  into details

-dog pandemic during daytimes. Need specific customers and clear functions

-very interesting idea and potential

-dog poo/pet service

-how does this relate to an interior?

-can look into the benefits of animals and mental health + link this to maybe a healing/wellbeing space/doggy daycare/dog training/obstacles etc.

-can look into materials suitable for dogs

-what are durable and nontoxic ect.

-dog space?

-dog poo electric generation?

-pet community center

-how do you solve an ‘outside’ problem with an interior

-still not sure on the function of the space

-designing for animals could be so interesting

Nov 25, 2022