Recently, it becomes an rising trend that the increase in the number of households with companion animal prompt the growth of global pet industry both quantitatively and qualitatively. Especially in terms of architecture, a number of places becomes to...
Recently, it becomes an rising trend that the increase in the number of households with companion animal prompt the growth of global pet industry both quantitatively and qualitatively. Especially in terms of architecture, a number of places becomes to facilitate the needs of pets and pet owners, and home-building corporations in South Korea are developing merchandising solutions of houses for families with pets. Few recent architectural researches in pet-related domestic spaces were only focused on the perception from pet owners which generally ignores the spatial perception from families without pets. Especially in public housing environment, very few attempts have been made concerning making an harmonious environment for both groups.
In this respect, this study attempted to resolve issues with certain behavioral patterns and spaces which displeased residents at a chance of pet encounter by field survey and interview and sought to present solutions to improve from both spatial and facility-related perspectives. Thus, this study concluded as the following.
First of all, with the comparison among South-Korean examples of space design related to apartment space and facilities in the near future it could be easily estimated that shared spaces and facilities between pets and people are one of the most important architectural design elements.
Secondly, from the field survey the most occupied spaces by pets and their owners were the garden walk or features in the boundary of apartment complexes , while according to the observation at the gardened boundaries pet owners were less likely to encounter other residents without pets at home. In the case of the underground parking lot, it was confirmed that it was difficult to manage some dogs, and it was confirmed that there was inconvenience caused by encounters between pet owners and non-pet owners at the entrance on the first floor of the main building. It was confirmed that dog-related facilities could be used in the idle space and lower part of the piloti within the complex, as well as community facilities and the rooftop of the main building on the lower floors.
Thirdly, the survey results clearly reveal a common tendency that pet owners and other residents feel uncomfortable at most common spaces in the apartment complexes because of pets’ animal behavior. From the results of the survey over the 10 common spaces about installing pet-friendly facilities, regardless of groups most answered positive perceptions in most item. In addition, the installation plan of pet-friendly facilities at each space appears to move the both groups into the anticipation by relieving frightened residents and meeting expectation of pet owners’ demands.
The purpose of this study is to provide basic data on space and facility planning to create apartment common spaces that are symbiotic with dogs. It is believed that the dog-related spaces and facilities presented in this study can contribute to the coexistence of pet owners and other residents and to resolve problems caused by pet animals to some extent. In addition, based on the analysis, the plan for installing dog-related facilities was presented as an architectural basis for future apartment complexes.
However, limitations of the study include the lack of examples of dog-friendly apartment complexes, which prevented us from identifying the effectiveness of the proposed contents, and the survey sample was geographically partial, which hardened generalizing the results.
In a follow-up study, further verification is needed through expert consultation and perception surveys in related fields, and a variety of sites should be investigated and further analyzed to further improve and explore the applicability of the recommendations.