WITHIN MY PROJECT, I CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR DISTINCT AIMS I INTEND TO FULFIL:

 

- Discover the extent to which current shelter designs are deteriorative on a dog's mentality, and whether the effects of which promote unsociable, or    aggressive behaviour. Specifically pinpoint what aspects of the kennel environment causes such behaviour and why.

 

           - Develop in-depth knowledge of ‘calming’ architecture and successful rehabilitative precedents to explore whether these characteristics have potential to    

             be effective in the context of dog rehabilitation.

           - Discover the extent of influence the built environment holds towards rehabilitation and recovery.

 

           - Through comparison of psychology, rationalise and understand the simlliarities and differences in human to dog mentality to answer the ultimate question

             of whether calming architecture would be applicable in a dog context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOTIVATION

 

Based on six years of experience in a boarding kennel facility, I have witnessed first-hand the emotional damage such environments can inflict onto a minority of dogs, in some cases turning a once lovable family pet into an unpredictable, hostile bag of nerves. Extending this view into a wider scope, I intend to focus on animal shelters purposed for re-homing. It is a fact that thousands of animals in the UK get euthanised due to showing signs of aggression, thus deemed ineligible for adoption. I question - what is the extent of which their surroundings / architecture influence such behaviour? If the design was constructed with acknowledged sensitivity to a dogs emotional state, would their behaviour benefit, ultimately changing the outcome?

 

Despite upholding personal involvement to this subject, I will utilise my passion to drive this investigation, whilst objectively researching to prove or disprove my initial hypothesis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I HAVE SET THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES TO AID MY RESEARCH:

 

 

- To prove a belief that current dog shelter designs evoke a deteriorative atmosphere for its inhabitants. A standard design of which has not

  progressed or encountered change for a long period of time - manufactured purposely for high volume intake with a quick turnaround.

 

- There is considerable research into spatial design for healing and comfort for human trauma, yet this approach is rarely applied in the case of  

  animals subjected to stress. My purpose is trialling this theory to establish a new proposal to rectify this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

METHODS

PRIMARY RESEARCH

 

I conducted first-hand observation within kennel / re-homing organisations to analyse sites, design of kennel blocks and to analyse the behaviour of individual dogs, varying in breed and length of stay, to witness whether a shelter environment has inflicted trauma or caused them to show signs of aggression. I monitored whether the selected dogs' in-kennel behaviour changes once removed from the confines of their kennel. I was able to conduct video-documentation, but due to confidentiality the location of the dogs has not been disclosed and access to videos are password protected.

 

I have distrubuted produce a successful questionnaire for professionals such as dog behaviourists, human psychologist, owner of a rehabilitation centre in the U.S., kennel workers, dog rehomers and animal control. The range of expert opinion has proved invaluable throughout my Research Project, likewise for further develop into my final scheme.

 

Due to the nature of my participants, I do not have the opportunity to converse with the inhabitants of a kennel environment. In order to somewhat grasp the human vs dog differences in psychology and reactivity to environmental stimuli, I conducted a self-experimentation, analysing my emotional state as I became the subject of a kennel setting. Crucially, the results of such an experiment provided strong feedback to how (dis)similar the effect of architecture and the environment was to a human mind in comparison to dogs.

 

 

 

 

METHODS

SECONDARY RESEARCH

 

During my investigation, I conducted extensive, relevant secondary research. In order to evaluate whether calming architecture would prove beneficial in the context of traumatised dogs, I ensured I fully understood what made a structure health giving, calming and psychologically healing. This information was extracted from a range of secondary sources, including published books such as ‘Places of the Soul’ by Christopher Day (1990) and ‘The Architecture of Hope’ by Charles Jencks and Edwin Heathcote (2010), alongside focusing on relevant academic articles. I also delved into secondary sources to investigate into the behavioural biology of the domestic dog, pinpointing what particular behavioural trait a kennel environment could ignite. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIMITATIONS

 

Throughout my investigation, I was aware of a few limitations to my research:

- During my observations and conduction of my Case Studies, I had hoped to observe with the dog being unaware to my presence. However, due to the elongated structure of the kennel blocks, it was almost impossible to observe them without being spotted. I feel my presence did not affect results significantly, but there were moments of distraction that would not have occured if they could not see me.  

 

- Within my 'Site & Context' tab, I had hoped to conduct a site model of which had a full set of walls. Nonetheless, I had a lack of full information portraying how the different heights of connecting outside bays connect to the barn. I did not want to create an incorrect model, therefore at this stage I have plotted the sites boundaries at 1:100 to begin to explore to scale of the building in comparison to the size of a human-being. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUTLINE OF SECTIONS

 

'INTRODUCTION' TAB:

 

 

Within this section, I will clearly outline my intended:

 

1]     Aims.

 

2]     Motivation.

3]     Objectives.

4]     Research Methods.

 

5]     Scope / limitations to research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'RESEARCH & FINDINGS' TAB:

 

1]     Background information / the current issue.

 

2]     Kennel design: Structure and Progression of change.

 

3]     Evolution of behavioural instincts: Links to their wild equivalents.

 

4]     The domestic dog: Resultant psychological issues in a kennel environment. 

 

5]     Calming architecture: Foundations of creating psychological contentment. 

 

6]     Human vs. Dog psychology: Responses to environmental stimuli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION' TAB:

 

'ANALYSIS'

 

 

1]     Collating all of my research, I specifically scrutinise my findings surrounding how essences of calming architecture is or is not relevant in the context of dog

        rehabilitation. I will do so by integrating all gained knowledge from primary and secondary research conducted throughout to inform my analysis. Analysis is

        sharp and concise, directly aiming to answer the initial hypothesis.

 

 

'CONCLUSION'

 

1]     A strong, conclusive paragraph ultimately summarising all analysis and portray a finalised declaration on whether the hypothesis has

        been proven, disproven, or remains inconclusive. 

 

2]     Using the knowledge developed from this Research Project, the conclusion will inform be used to inform my design brief and ultimately allow me to design an

        appropriate scheme for my Final Design Project. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'APPENDIX' TAB:

 

SUB-PAGE ONE  -  'FIGURES & SHELTER IDENTIFICATION'

 

1]      An area disclosing the identities of 'Shelter A' and 'Shelter B' as reference throughout the Research Project.

 

2]      A structured collection of references of all visual matter within the Research Project.

 

 

SUB-PAGE TWO  -  'BIBLIOGRAPHY'

 

1]     A structured and categorised collection of references to all primary and secondary research conducted. To enhance simplicity, references have been

        arranged in groups such as 'Books', 'Web Sources', 'Interviews / E-Mails'. A column matching short references (found in the main body of text) has been

        aligned to it's full version equivalent for convenience.

 

 

SUB-PAGE THREE  -  'ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND OWNERSHIP'

 

1]     A statement acknowledging full understanding that copyright of this research project proposal rests with Nottingham Trent University, and that no

        information derived from this project can be published without the prior written consent of the University. Located beneath this is a signature from myself

        further supporting my understanding. 

 

 

SUB-PAGE FOUR  -  'SITE AND CONTEXT'

 

1]     A page disclosing an array of information relating to my chosen site: Model Farm, located on Buckden Road, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0BH. The page consists

        of recent site photos (gained from secondary sources), plans, site plan, elevations, sun-path map and the geographical connect between the sight and Wood

        Green Animal Shelter, located a 16-mile drive away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'BLOG'  TAB:

 

1]     A continuous daily blog portraying all day-to-day research and initial analysis that has been read, received, taught or watched during my investigation.

        Blog posts include received / sent e-mails, secondary sources including quotes from books / e-books / journals, many video sources which I have found

        particularly useful, copies of completed ethical form, questionnaire results and submission of proposal. 

 

2]     All blog posts have been referenced appropriately using the Harvard Referencing system. Similarly, all blog posts have been given relevant 'tags' in for

        for ease of finding a particular post type. E.g. Primary for Primary research and Secondary for all Secondary research.