In the doghouse: Architecture for Dogs exhibition opens at Milan’s ADI Design Museum

The Architecture for Dogs exhibition has arrived at the ADI Design Museum in Milan, offering a whimsical yet thought-provoking exploration of design tailored to our canine companions.

Opening today (3 December 2024), the exhibition showcases innovative doghouses created by renowned architects and designers, including MVRDV, Kengo Kuma, Konstantin Grcic, Asif Khan, Shigeru Ban and Sou Fujimoto. 

Forget what you think you know about kennels – the exhibition pushes the boundaries of architectural form and function, featuring everything from ramps and cushions to designs that provide furrier breeds with a cool refuge from warm weather and a vertical kennel that brings dogs to human eye level. 

Only the second European edition following the 2020 London showcase, the exhibition also features two new Italian designs, by Piero Lissoni and Giulio Iacchetti.

Accompanying the doghouses are photos and video insights that explore the deeper connection between architecture and our four-legged friends. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on how architecture can transcend its traditional human context to communicate across species, offering a shared language that fosters a bond between humans and animals.

In an era of anthropocentrism, Architecture for Dogs flips the paradigm – positioning pets not as passive occupants but as active protagonists. The project reimagines "pet-tecture" – designs created specifically around the characteristics of pets – encouraging a rethinking of shared living spaces, challenging conventional architecture by exploring the relationship between humans and animals in a new, artistic light. 

The exhibition also taps into a growing societal trend, particularly in Italy, where there are around 15 million pet dogs and one in two people in Milan own a pet. Extending its dialogue beyond architecture, the exhibition also ventures into fashion and textiles. In collaboration with Poldo Dog Couture, Giorgio Armani has created a capsule collection for dogs, merging luxury style with practical design.

Fancy making your own doghouse, inspired by the exhibition? The blueprints and instructions for the designs are free to download online.

Architecture for Dogs runs at the ADI Design Museum from 3 December 2024 – 16 February 2025.