An architecture studio prompt asked that I select and research a companion animal, and develop a “carrying case” to respond to the latent conditions of the subject.

My research focused on my parents’ dog, Kira. She is of mixed breeding, part shetland sheepdog and part standard pomeranian. This type of dog is known as a ‘spitz’— a subgroup spanning all size of dog, defined by nordic breeding, a dual-coat with a thick under layer topped by a bristly shell, and a coiled and bushy tail.

In considering the the universal qualities of the spitz as they may suggest a form, I attempted to abstract the conditions of dual-layer fur and the expressive geometry of the spitz.

Telltale body-language of the spitz; pointed ears, lifted tail and upward neckline derived a visual language of simple inclines giving way to more fluid, varied and undulating surfaces.

Following this abstraction into the more material cares of construction, I assembled a wearable harness, respondent to the sled-dog viability of the spitz.

A collapsible sunshade shell responds to the top-coat retooled for urban heat, while a malleable net is rolled along the harness, to be deployed as an MTA compliant “bag”, enabling dog & owner to travel by subway.

The next phase asked that the carrying case be developed to the scale of a pavilion, a simple play structure.

The play structure adapts the earlier abstractions into a surface-based language.

The undulating play surface offers numerous lookouts at a variety of heights.

The slope shades a play area beneath, with openings for interplay between above and below.

The final stage of the studio assigned the program of a care facility to serve 100 animals.

A simple massing was arrived at in considering the two primary canine users of the facility: active dogs attending classes, and the more passive patients of the veterinary clinic.