architecture for dogs unveils new project by asif kahn at japan house london exhibition

architecture for dogs has unveiled at the japan house london exhibition the 16th creative to join the project — UK-based architect asif khan.

‘new for the london exhibition, we have succeeded in gaining the participation of asif khan,’ comments kenya hara, creative advisor for japan house london and creator of architecture for dogs. ‘the first time I met asif was in miami when we opened this exhibition for the first time, back in 2012. perhaps it was fate that this talented architect joins the london exhibition.’

images courtesy of japan house london

featuring a collection of architectural designs for different dog breeds, khan joins MVRDV, konstantin grcic, kazuyo sejima, shigeru ban, kengo kuma, toyo ito, sou fujimoto, ma yansong and kenya hara himself. for the exhibition, khan has created I see you, a minimalist seamless black felt surface that sits halfway between carpet and table, and features a crater in which a dog can nestle. designed to be positioned in the middle of the room and place our canine companions as ‘the centre of attention’ in the hub of the home, the piece focuses on the idea of dogs gaining their understanding of the world through their noses from the ground upwards.

crafted from felted sheep’s wool intended to spark canine interest through smell, khan’s exhibit spreads a big circular skirt on the ground down from its main volume, which is specially designed to meet the dog’s nose first. although created with no specific dog breed in mind, the piece is dyed entirely black to create a playful camouflage-like haven for a black dog to disappear into, asking us to ‘imagine seeing the shape of some white paws, a white tail, or white ears and nothing else.’

‘I think that cross-cultural exchanges of creativity are vital to us growing as individuals, and japan house london is one of my favorite places to experience this,’ says asif khan. ‘there is always something fascinating to see there, but architecture for dogs may be the most unusual! the exhibition is a growing collection of some of the most interesting architects and designers in the world, it’s an honor to join them and contribute to the project.’

project info

name: architecture for dogs exhibition

location: japan house london

dates: 19 september 2020 – january 2021