TBG Dallas wins Bark + Build Competition
At TBG, creative expression is not always limited to the scope of landscape architecture and planning. Design competitions often allow our designers to flex their creative muscles on unique projects while representing the firm. This fall, a team from the Dallas office partnered with Hill & Wilkinson to participate in the seventh annual Bark + Build Competition hosted by TEXO and AIA Dallas, supporting SPCA of Texas’ mission to providing every companion animal a loving home.
The team was the only landscape architecture team amongst seventeen other architecture teams. The effort involved designing and constructing a doghouse within a limited budget to fit a “Teacup Pup” – one of four design categories in the competition this year. Other categories included Big Dog, Furr-niture, and Cat Condo. Once submissions were in, an interdisciplinary panel of judges voted on the design and construction quality of each submission.
In their first year competing in the annual design competition, the group took home first place amongst stiff competition in their design category wooing judges with their sleek but simple design.
The four-month design process included initial concept development, model building, construction detailing, and eventually construction of the house. The final polyhedron form, inspired by a dog toy, was designed, and scaled to serve as both an interior art piece and temporary dwelling space. The dog house was beautifully crafted and constructed by Woodhaus. Details include perforation of the walnut panels on inverse sides to allow for both light intrusion and air flow. Additionally, interior colors were carefully selected to fall within a dog’s color spectrum of visual light. The finishing touch included an in-house sewn pillow by one of the team’s very own members, Mikala Fitzgerald. The doghouse is displayed at NorthPark Center and will eventually be sold at auction online this month. All proceeds directly support the SPCA of Texas.
The team was lead by Lindsey White from TBG and Hayden Harrison from Hill & Wilkinson. Team members included Cheng Xie, Ivy Farhadi, Mikala Fitzgerald, Ryan Blair, Dandi Zhang, Will Jones and Robert Acuña-Pilgrim.
To view the complete list of winners, please visit DallasInnovates.com.
