August 28 to October 17, 1999
Dog Haus:
Architecture Unleased
Museum Terraces
Presented by the Art Department

Interactive Feature

Doghouses designed by architects to meet the unique needs of each canine client are featured in Dog Haus: Architecture Unleashed, an unusual collaborative exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California Aug. 28 to Oct. 17, 1999. The exhibition, which includes houses for city, country, and even a house for a dog residing with a homeless person, is a joint project of the museum and the Oakland SPCA. It showcases 24 outstanding designs chosen by a jury of eminent California architects, designers and animal experts in a statewide architectural competition for doghouse design that took place in late March.

The exhibition, a celebration of the timeless link between people and their "best friends," addresses themes of architecture, design and canine care and safety. Accessible to both children and adults, it permits a serious exploration of architectural and design principles in a not-so-serious context. The exhibition is accompanied by entertaining and educational events for dog-lovers of all ages. A closing event on the final day of the exhibition, hosted by KPIX's Sherry Hu, will feature an auction of the doghouses, with proceeds benefiting the Oakland SPCA and the museum.

The exhibition will educate children and adults about architecture and design by presenting simplified and visually delightful examples of how architects approach larger and more complex building projects. The exhibition focuses on fundamentals of architectural design such as scale and proportion, stylistic expression, and appropriateness to the client's needs and purpose, as well as utilitarian concerns such as weatherproofing, maintenance and ventilation.

	Dog Haus Slide Show

The designers have created housing to suit the characters and specific needs of their canine clients, including "House for the Doggie Lama," a palanquin with poles for transporting a Tibetan Terrier; an igloo made of mops to house a sheepdog; and "Chapeaux Chateau," a beret-topped dwelling for a poodle. Models range from the traditional æ a reproduction of Paris's Arc de Triomphe to house a French briard æ to the ultra-modern, as in the designer's description of one house, "emblematic of a West Coast vernacular in its use of abstract compositional geometries." There is a doggie duplex, and a vacation dog house that collapses to the size of a suitcase.

Doghouse designers were solicited through California architecture and design publications and organizations and educational institutions. The 24 designs selected to be built for the exhibition were created by:

Christi Azevedo and Norberto Melendez, San Francisco; Aleksander Baharlo, Oakland; Norman Barrett, MCG Architects, San Diego; James Bowen, San Francisco; Bonnie Bridges, Bridges Architecture, San Francisco; Dennis Budd, 450 Architects, San Francisco; Doug Couper, Greenberg Farrow Architecture, Tustin; Dawn Dimond, Costa Mesa; Alice Eichold, Berteaux Architectural Collaborative, Davis; Daniel Gottlieb, Oakland; Libby Holah and Greg Holah, San Francisco; David J. Holscher, Holscher Architecture, Belvedere; Jarvis Architects, Berkeley; David Kesler, Berkeley; Gregory L. Klosowski, San Francisco; Davin Leong, San Francisco; Gary Earl Parsons, Berkeley; Tranh Pham, Davis; Michael Quesenbury, Santa Rosa; Douglas Smith, Bay Area Young Architects, Oakland; Anne B. Stamper, Laguna Beach; Barbara Westover, Oakland; Whitney Wyatt, G Force, West Hollywood; Terence Young, Santa Monica; Members of the jury panel were David Baker, architect, David Baker Associates, San Francisco; Dan Gregory, Senior Editor, Sunset magazine; Cathy Simon, architect, Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris, San Francisco; and Gary Templin, President, Oakland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

© 1999 Oakland Museum of California | Credits |Phone: 510-238-2200