Description

The main topic of the project was climate change, which is why the researcher chose to search for and design a pet-friendly complex center as pets have a huge impact on climate change. Pets raised without awareness are one of the main factors in urban areas that impact climate change, if their feeding methods are not followed correctly, their carbon footprint increases, which negatively affects climate change, and that is caused by the limitation of places in Egypt that provide a Preparation for the adoption stage before and after. and this is not only the pet-related reason affecting climate change but also the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of applying sustainable materials and principles in Egyptian pet-related facilities affect negatively on climate change.

My topic is Integrating sustainable design elements in interior spaces to enhance the sustainable concept and achieve a sustainable pet center that contains all the required needs and knowledge needed for pet ownership, or living the experience of owning a pet by providing various pet-related activities. And that is due to the inconsiderate of sustainable animal shelters, and places that provide different activities related to pets in Egypt.

The main problem behind the project was that about 6.3 million cats and dogs get abandoned by their owners every year due to a lack of responsibility and awareness of how to deal with a pet, which exposes these pets to an uncertain fate, and not all pets are lucky enough to get picked up by animal shelters, the most common problem in Egypt is that many pet owners leave their pets on the street because they cannot take care of them anymore or give them to shelters, which are not highly sustainable. So the thought was that the pet-friendly complex center would be a place designed with sustainable materials where people can enhance their experience with their pets by providing different zones and activities that help in preparing the user physically and mentally to adopt a pet, and giving them information and instructions on how to reduce the pets carbon footprint to zero, which will also help in overcoming climate change risks Therefore, all of this will help reduce the spread of diseases caused by having those pets on the streets, which will help increase human welfare and health in Egypt. Also, it would help share the idea of adopting pets worldwide.

The Pet-friendly complex center consists of socializing spaces such as reception, waiting, cafes, and meet & greet zones, also consists of collaborative and innovative coworking spaces as education centers and specialized workshops to spread awareness of how to handle and treat pets, the place also consists of accommodation areas for staff and pets, the place also contains a medical area consisting of the vet clinic and grooming zones and finally an outdoor space and enrichment, training areas for pets to ensure the full experience.

Conceptual Approach:

The concept of the project is inspired by the movement language of pets as a communication method as cats and dogs have different ways of communicating: cats give actions based on visual attractions resulting in curved lines in their movement, but Dogs give Reactions based on Physical attractions resulting in straight lines and center points which makes the applied design on the interior space a mix of curved and straight lines.
most of the furniture used is built-in furniture to limit the damage that may be caused due to the movement of pets and special animal-friendly materials( such as Linoleum and Cedarwood) are used to ensure the safety of pets.

glass walls and windows used to enter the daylight which connects pets to nature and increases their activeness and interaction with humans.

Main zones highlighted:

Zone 1: Reception and waiting area
-where people enter with their pets and then choose the destination they want or thy can rest and wait in the waiting area.
- supported by the concept.

Zone 2: Cat enrichment area
- located on the upper floor of the cats building near a closed outdoor area so that cats can have access in and out for toilet.
-the zone is used as a playing area for cats and has access to the outdoors and the cats sleeping area underneath also people can go inside and have some playtime with the cats.
-A special ventilation system, materials and light system are used in this area to ensure cats safety.

Zone 3: Outdoor area and Café
-the outdoor is located in the middle between the dogs' building and the cats' building to be accessible to all visitors.
- it is divided into 3 zones specialized the first is the dogs’ play area which consists of dogs’ different activities, a kids’ play area, and a café bar for humans and their pets.

Special animal-friendly materials used in the pet-friendly complex center:

- Linoleum Floorings as it is Durable, scratch-resistant, antistatic, water-resistant, and antimicrobial and does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which ensures its safety on pets and humans.
- microfiber material as it is easy to maintain and clean and it is durable.
- Cedarwood& Antibacterial Paint Coatings as it does not emit (VOCs).
- leather fabric as it is pet hair resistant, scratch marks can blend in easily, and it is comfortable for pets.
-concrete built-ins as it is strong, durable, and resilient.

Related SDGs:

-Target 3: Healthier pets mean healthier people, animals’ matter and animal welfare is an important element of sustainable development, owning a pet was mentioned as being associated with improved physical health of the owner.
-Target 12, 13: Healthier animals have a smaller environmental footprint, raising an animal offers better lives and livelihoods to billions, achieving the SDGs requires animals to be healthy.

Designed

2024

Technical data

Activities zones :
-Entrance, Reception and waiting areas
-Stay and hotel areas ( for staff and pets)
-Medical zone (vet clinic, grooming)
-Workshops, education centers.
-Outdoor and playground.
-Training and enrichment zones for pets.
-Cafe and outdoor bar.
-Services (Toilets and pantry ).
-Administration & support zones.
-Storage.
-Meet & greet zones.

Systems:
-Special sustainable animal-friendly materials.
-Lighting system ( ambient, task, and accent ).
-Ambient red & blue lighting systems.
-Passive system ( natural ventilation, natural daylight )
- Mechanical ventilation (neutral pressure system)
-HVAC system ( Central AC system and ventilation )
-Active system ( Daylight collectors system)
-Fire system ( fire extinguisher, fire detector )

Project team

Project designed and presented by: Shahd Eslam Behairy
Faculty of Arts & Design - Interior Design Department - MSA University
Under the supervision of:
Prof. Dr. Hoda Madkour
Prof. Dr. Ola Hashem
Prof. Dr. Sadeka Abdelshakour
Assoc. Prof. Karam Abdullah
Dr. Tarek Fouad
AL. Ghada Ammar
AL. Mai Othman