Tennis Ball ‘Trombe Wall’ Dog House
Accompanying the 2017 Solar Decathlon was the Sustainable BARKitecture Dog House Competition, a challenge to local Denver architecture firms to design and build the ideal solar dog house.
The homes were built for a specific Canine Airport Therapy dog and were on display at the Denver International Airport through Oct. 9th, 2017. The homes were sold in an online auction to benefit the Dumb Friends League.
SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION:
Built with salvaged or repurposed materials wherever possible, Pesto’s house has a redwood frame for weather resistance. The sliding roof lets the sun in and keeps the weather out and the wind-scoop design keeps the house ventilated. An insulating “Trombe” wall uses recycled tennis balls as insulation and as toys for Pesto. The green wall provides treats for Pesto and his owner, in addition to collecting rainwater. The solar panel acts as the wind-scoop roof and powers the green wall pump and a radio to soothe Pesto or entertain friends.INSPIRED BY:
DEN Canine Airport Therapy Squad dog, Pesto, a Labrador retriever who’s never met a treat he doesn’t like and whose favorite activity is laying in the sun.
DESIGN CONCEPT:
To provide multiple degrees of openness to allow for a smaller space that is easier to keep warm in cold weather and can be opened up for comfort in the warmer weather.
Architecture Firm: RS&H http://rsandh.com/what-we-do/architecture
Learn more about the Canine Airport Therapy Squad