Silver Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2026
Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building
by Jimmy Yung
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Happystudio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 15,705
- Verification code 855CC32448 · Verify this award
About Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building
Symbiosis Cat House is a residential building designed for a narrow urban site. The four floor house allows people with allergies and cats to live together. A vertical zoning strategy separates animal areas from human areas. A central atrium drives a passive stack effect that removes allergens without heavy mechanical systems. Dedicated exhaust units serve the litter zones. Uncoated concrete, fair faced brickwork and perforated metal treads limit dust and chemical emissions. A cat tower rises beside the stairs, keeping the household visually connected.
Within the discourse of contemporary residential architecture, Happystudio's Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building represents a thoughtful meditation on the threshold condition and the material poetry of the perforated screen. The design demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how traditional craft techniques, specifically the art of brick laying, can be reimagined to address contemporary concerns of privacy, ventilation, and visual delight. The building's primary facade, composed of projecting bricks arranged in a carefully calibrated horizontal pattern, creates what might be understood as a breathing wall, a surface that mediates between interior sanctuary and exterior world while allowing light and air to permeate the domestic realm. The architects appear to have engaged deeply with the phenomenology of arrival, orchestrating the approach through a sequence of frames: the timber-slatted gate, the concrete portal, and finally the luminous brick screen beyond, each layer progressively filtering the transition from public street to private dwelling. The chromatic choices, warm timber against cool concrete, cream brick against shadow, suggest an attentiveness to material dialogue that elevates the work beyond mere shelter toward architectural experience. The integration of horizontal timber screens at the balcony level introduces a secondary rhythm that echoes the brick pattern while providing human-scaled moments of warmth within the larger composition. The work invites contemplation of how contemporary residential architecture might honor craft traditions while responding to climatic imperatives, suggesting that beauty and function need not be separate considerations but can emerge together from thoughtful material and spatial decisions.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This narrow row house utilizes a vertical zoning strategy to resolve the paradox of density and hygiene. Key features include a stepped setback profile to ensure future adaptability against high rise developments and a dual loop circulation system. The house functions as a metabolic organ, employing a central atrium to drive a stack effect that continuously purges allergens. This ensures that the living environment remains clear without reliance on heavy mechanical systems.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The building dimensions are Width 5100 mm by Depth 17050 mm by Height 9700 mm. It occupies a site area of 90 square meters with a total floor area of 250 square meters across four floors. Structural components include uncoated concrete, fair faced brickwork, and perforated metal panels. A central vertical atrium provides passive ventilation while localized exhaust systems manage air quality.
- Tags
- Residential Architecture, Micro Housing, Hypoallergenic Design, Passive Ventilation, Vertical Zoning, Interspecies Living, CFD Simulation, Brutalism, Pet Friendly Architecture
- Production Technology
- The construction employs a low maintenance and hypoallergenic material strategy. Fair faced brickwork with calibrated porosity creates a breathing skin for natural air filtration. Uncoated concrete and perforated metal treads minimize the emission of chemical compounds and prevent the accumulation of dander. Aero acoustic zoning utilizes localized negative pressure at litter zones via dedicated mechanical exhaust to ensure high air quality in human zones.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was reconciling strict biological isolation with visual intimacy on a narrow site. The design had to anticipate future urban density while ensuring the interior remained breathable. Engineering a passive stack effect to isolate dander without extensive use of HVAC systems was the technical peak. The design balances private health requirements with public aesthetic value, proving that rigorous functional needs can yield a rhythmic living environment.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2022 in Douliu City Taiwan and finished in 2024 in the same location.
- Operation Flow
- The house functions through a shared vertical journey. As family members walk up the stairs, cats climb up their own dedicated tower right beside them. Both paths rise in tandem around a central void to ensure constant visual and acoustic proximity. Key moments include watching companions move across the atrium or hearing them through light filters while the air remains fresh. This design succeeds by protecting the health of every inhabitant while keeping the emotional bond of the household intact.
- Research
- Applied Architectural Research. Objectives included the optimization of health for multiple species in high density settings. Methodology involved spatial mapping and airflow simulation using CFD modeling tools. Participants included a family with severe allergies and two felines. Results showed a ninety five percent reduction in the spread of allergens via vertical zoning. Insights confirm that health is a spatial mechanism. This creates a replicable and neuro inclusive model.
- Inspiration
- The project originates from a critical conflict between respiratory health and the need for interspecies companionship in dense urban areas. The objective was to demonstrate that biological well being and domestic life can be integrated through spatial innovation. By scaling the internal volume to match the vertical requirements of felines, a nested system was created to protect the air quality for human inhabitants while ensuring freedom for animals.
- Image Credits
- All Images: Photographer Yi-Hsien Lee