Sophie Gibbs

For the Love of Pets: Habitable environments at the SPCA, proposes an alternative approach and design to creating domesticated animal’s living environment. Specifically designed for cats and dogs at the Wellington SPCA, this project privileges animal over human perspectives and needs. It employs the idea that animals are sentient beings and embraces an empathic mindset to construct meaningful and interactive spaces for the sick, unloved and abandoned animals that are housed at the SPCA. The design uses animal centric concepts of play and stimulation amongst an animal’s other needs to create safe, multi-zones and renewable spaces. Materials, textures and forms have been selected based on the colour, vision, behaviour and mannerisms of cats and dogs. While the design caters for the animal’s personality, well-being, need for exercise, sleep, security and nourishment, it also affords replacement and reshaping in the case of wear and tear.