As a disease of modernity, loneliness and depression prevails at a younger age throughout the years under globalization and technological transformation when the contemporary world has so much going on and has been rapidly changing. Pets have become humans' best friends and roommates; also a way to deal with loneliness. Furthermore, in a post-pandemic future, bringing back human intimacy from social and mental isolation, pets would be powerful companions to initiate interactions and reconnect humans together. Can a new type of space bring balanced life and strengthen the bond between humans and pets as well as to improve well-being and deal with loneliness from humans and pets’ perspectives? What would the spatial, programmatic and aesthetic arrangements be to provide a harmonious co-living space for two species?
Loneliness
“Millennials are the loneliest generation” -YouGovAmerica
“For many citizens loneliness is becoming a major threat to personal and social well being.Yet, social sciences have virtually ignored this problem”
- Reviewed Work: Loneliness:The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation. by Robert S. Weiss
“An exceedingly unpleasant and driving experience with inadequate discharge of the need for human intimacy ”
- Harry Stack Sullivan
Post-pandemic
“More than 23 millionAmerican households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to theAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals (ASPCA)”
-The Washington Post,Americans adopted millions of dogs during the pandemic. Now what do we do with them?
Animal-assisted therapy
“Numerous studies have established that pets can act as powerful social icebreakers, facilitating social interactions between people”
- June McNicholas and Glyn M. Collis,Animals as Social Supports: Insights for UnderstandingAnimal-AssistedTherapy
“Children have lower blood pressure when they are reading and reading while the dog’s present”
“When humans look at animals, it decrease their anxiety”
“Watching fish in a fish tanks lower blood pressure and produce a state of relaxation”
- Kristine Lund, “APuppy’sTouch:” Touch in the Helping Professions, p.110-112
Away from loneliness: Together with pets
Away from loneliness: Together with pets
The Dog House, Beijing, China
Elephant House at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark
Funktionide by Stefan Ulrich
The Dog House, Beijing, China
Elephant House at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark
The Dog House, Beijing, China
Elephant House at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark
Combating Loneliness: Cultivating Human-Pet Companionship for a Co-living, Co-healing and Reconnecting Environment
Dog/Human House, Thailand BARK Office, Ohio Nova Pets Store, Hangzhou, China
VAC-Library, Vietnam
Dog/Human House, Thailand BARK Office, Ohio Nova Pets Store, Hangzhou, China
VAC-Library, Vietnam
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Dog/Human House, Thailand
BARK Office, Ohio Nova Pets Store, Hangzhou, China
VAC-Library, Vietnam
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Dog/Human House, Thailand BARK Office, Ohio Nova Pets Store, Hangzhou, China
VAC-Library, Vietnam
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Animal Human
Dog/Human House, Thailand BARK Office, Ohio Nova Pets Store, Hangzhou, China
VAC-Library, Vietnam
Linoleum
Organic Burlap
Recycled Wood
Green roof
Water reuse