I'm Sarah, I'm a first year student studying Bachelor of Architectural Design. My strongest interests are in crafting and art which includes many things like designing, crocheting, knitting as well as embroidery. This love for art and making things helps me when I design, letting me play with shapes, textures, and details in my university projects. I believe good design comes from letting your creativity shine and translating it into useful and innovative ideas.

Sarah Zinah

 

My project is called 'A Meet and Greet Space at BARC.' The design I made is aimed towards making it easier and less stressful for cats at the BARC animal shelter to meet people who might adopt them. The most important part of my design was creating a calm space. I placed the project outside the main building, near the trees. This location was due to the quiet, natural spot for the cats to be far away from the dog training areas that can create possible noise, which negatively lead to both the cats and the dogs getting stressed. Furthermore, it's still close to the main building, so people looking to adopt won’t have to walk too far. One special feature is a small, foldable cat box. This box tucks into the benches of the meet and greet area. When someone adopts a cat, they can take this box with them. The idea is that the box will smell familiar because the cat has been using it. Taking this familiar box to a new home helps the cat feel more comfortable and less scared during the move. For the design of the structure itself, I was inspired by the architect Peter Zumthor, especially his Saint Benedict Chapel. I focused on making a space that feels solid, peaceful, and connected to its location.