Max Tang Advisors Tom Buresh Luisa Caldas
CAT HOUSE
The study of animals is the study of humans. The connection between animals and humans has been established from before the beginning of civilization. According to pet industry statistics, Americans own some 78 million dogs, 85 million cats, 14 million birds, 12 million small mammals and 9 million reptiles. Why start with cats? Cats plays a vital role in mythology, religion and legends across the globe. Cat worship, that is revering cats as gods, has been practiced for thousands of years. Ancient texts and artwork underscore the power and persistence of cats in the minds and hearts of people. Architecture, as a result, must better respect and respond to this co-existing relationship. An “animal oriented� architecture then becomes an opportunity for us to think about architecture from another perspective. Cat House explores a co-existent humananimal environment that prioritizes the needs and desires of cats over people. Animals communicate but they don’t talk. The design of this project employs characteristics of cats in reality and importantly, cats as portrayed in popular culture- gods of pop culture, gods of cuteness and incompetence. As an example, there is Garfield. Garfield embodies the defining caricature of cats as most everyone knows that he hates Mondays, sleeps a lot, and loves eating. Cats cannot talk yet Garfield can.