Combining Architecture and Animals – Barkitecture 2011

What do you get when you combine a love for dogs and a love for buildings? You get an event called “Barkitecture.” The 2011 Barkitecture event took place in Austin Texas this year. It was a huge success with high-style, trendy and downright unusual dog houses. Top that off with allocating $20,000 in grant to local rescue groups and it makes all the participants pretty special. Here’s what it had to offer.

• Best in Show

Cesar Millan and Spring Builders teamed up to create an indoor/outdoor canine abode. No chain link fence here, the outdoor portion of this dog house was a white lattice-style structure attached to the indoor unit that sported a rich, dark wood with sun garden on top. Very zen-like and very cool.

• Best Backyard Bungalow

Stewart Construction took this prize with an adorable tin-roof dog house with a vaulted, slant ceiling and a sliding barn door style front. Set up on an outdoor carpet platform, there was even enough thought to include a bowl for food and water nearby. What more could a dog ask for?

• Best Urban Dwelling

A modern residential design firm named, “The Whole Place” took the Best Urban Dwelling honor with their modular box dog house standing off the ground on metal piers. The minimalistic design would give some high-end homes a run for their money. It’s a perfect urban dog pad.

• Most Unusual

I’m still trying to figure out if this entry was completely finished – so, therefore, it stands to reason it would be called unusual. Almost looking like partial pagoda, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) student chapter created a white structure for the smaller canines in the crowd.

• Greenest Design

The Agave group threw their hat into the ring with another modular unit that was water-cooled and protected from sunlight with a wood louver design. This green dog house looked much like the environmentally-friendly units they design for humans – just top notch.

• Largest Fundraiser

VII Custom Homes brought the largest fundraiser to the party and a dog house any canine would love to call home. Complete with a craftsmen style hanging lamp in the entry, this dog house wasn’t complete until they added a few tennis balls in the wall planter on the outer wall. Fetch anyone?

Check out these and some other ingenious building in the Unusual Dog Houses ideabook on Houzz. You’ll even see a dog house made from a wine barrel and another from recycled bottles. You’ll love the creativity.

Enjoy more home decor ideas from Terry Mulligan:

10 Tips to Take Your Next Decorating Project Over the Top
Fabulous Choices for Decorating with Throw Pillows
Budget-Friendly Dollar Store Finds Anyone Can Decorate With


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