Press Release
Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building by Jimmy Yung Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Jimmy Yung of Happystudio for architecture, building and structure design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building by Jimmy Yung of Happystudio has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
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.
About Jimmy Yung
Jimmy Yung is an architectural and interior designer dedicated to exploring how human beings find their sense of home. Cities have been expanding for centuries, and the population has increased dramatically. With the rapid advancement of internet services and the ongoing threats of infectious diseases, the concept of dwelling must evolve. Traditional functions once defined by specific activities such as offices, schools, libraries, playgrounds, sports fields, and restaurants are becoming increasingly interconnected like a cloud and condensed into a compact, miniaturized world. As a result, the residence must respond to the desires of its inhabitants, functioning like a treasure box.
About Happystudio
Founded in 2005, Happystudio is an award-winning interior design studio recognized with iF, RING, and TID awards. It excels in research-driven projects across hospitality and commercial sectors.
Award Record
With this recognition, Jimmy Yung of Happystudio is a winner of 7 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2016 - 2017 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/177448
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/177448
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!177448
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/169056
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Symbiosis Cat House Residential Building
- Function
- Residential Building
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Sienna, Silver, Dark Gray, Saddle Brown and Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Jimmy Yung
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Brand
- Happystudio
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #177448
Credits
- Team
- Tina Liao
- Image Credits
- All Images: Photographer Yi-Hsien Lee
Design Details
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Realization and 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.
- Operation and Interaction
- 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.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in January 2022 in Douliu City Taiwan and finished in 2024 in the same location.
- Specifications
- 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.
- Keywords
- Residential Architecture, Micro Housing, Hypoallergenic Design, Passive Ventilation, Vertical Zoning, Interspecies Living, CFD Simulation, Brutalism, Pet Friendly Architecture
