Culture

As architects, most of us spend our entire careers designing buildings, and if we are lucky it's a structure that stimulates, inspires, and contributes positively to the environment. Rarely do we have opportunities to work on projects with no guidelines, zoning requirements, or local building codes; where we are allowed to reinvent the unexpected, push limits, and let our imagination rule. But such design freedom creates new hurdles to overcome; and what architect doesn't like a challenge?

I recently participated in a FXFOWLE pro bono project that challenged me as a designer unlike any other - to design and construct a shelter for a colony of feral cats in New York City. According to current estimates, tens of thousands of homeless, stray, and free-roaming cats live on the streets and in alleyways, back yards, and abandoned lots throughout the city. Many of the cats live in groups known as "colonies." The winter months are particularly difficult for these cats, when inclement weather creates serious and life-threatening challenges, including finding food, water, and shelter. Shelter is vitally important and that is where the NYC architectural community comes in.

Architects for Animals "Giving Shelter" benefits the Mayor's Alliance for New York City Animals. Architectural firms participating in this endeavor design, build, and donate creative and fun outdoor shelters to provide the city's homeless cats with refuge from the cold/freezing temperatures in winter as part of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative. The only "rules" for the shelter was that it had to hold at least one colony a feral cats (anywhere from 3-5), be warm, and weather-proof.

Initial design concepts pin-up

During initial meetings with other FXFOWLE volunteers, we focused our cat structure concept as a dual-purpose public bench and shelter, but through various design meetings and researching feral cat behavior, we decided on pursuing a more sculptural/object approach. Primarily, our design evolved into a kitty "pod hotel" with an interstitial space and plywood frame serving as a "kitty jungle gym", with a central "atrium" providing access to each pod.  The structure contains 3 fully-insulated pods varying in length, which serve as shelter for the cats during the colder, winter months. Two non-insulated pods can be inserted into the structure for the summer if additional housing is needed. Each pod contains a pair of hinged doors to allow entry from either end, as well as to provide two means of egress in case of a threat. The pods are easily removable from the plywood frame for maintenance and repair, and can be retrofitted or swapped out to accommodate growing colonies or different seasons.

1:5 scale chipboard model

Using the concept of a vacuum flask (thermos) to house the cats, each insulated pod was fabricated by placing a tube within a larger tube and filling the void between the two with insulation. A 10" PVC tube wrapped with recycled plastic insulation was placed into a 12" PVC tube and the two ends were filled with expanding foam insulation and capped with a laser cut white acrylic ring onto which the cat doors were fixed. All joints and seams were filled with silicone sealant to make the pods water resistant. Each non-insulated pod was produced using a 10" PVC tube wrapped in ½" sisal rope and capped at each end with cat doors. The sisal rope provides a scratch surface for sharpening claws and a textured surface for cats to climb and lounge on. The frame, milled by students and faculty from Columbia University GSAPP Laboratory for Applied Building Science, was painted using a polyurethane based wood stain to seal the plywood and give it rich walnut color. Each of the vertical ribs and horizontal struts were fastened together using brad nails and flat-head screws.

Lucio checks the fit of the first pod

I am happy to have played a small role in bringing awareness to the issue of feral cats in the city. Our shelter is located somewhere in one of the city's five boroughs, and it's my hope our "clients" are using it as we imagined.

Thanks to Philip Anzalone, Brigette Borders, & Ray Ho from Columbia University GSAPP Laboratory for Applied Building Science for CNC milling the plywood. Also, thanks to Nobu Arai and Gerardo Sustaeta for assembly and fabrication of the pods and many thanks to Brien McDaniel for organizing the initiative.

The final product

Additional Links:

http://architectsforanimals.com/

http://www.facebook.com/mayorsalliancenyc

http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54612307@N06

http://www.arch.columbia.edu/labs/fablab