Dogs Trust Landmark Center, Scotland

Fabric Architecture Ltd.

Founded in 1891, Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the U.K. Their mission is “to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.” Prior to approaching us, Dogs Trust had been considering polycarb and glass as building mediums for the series of walkways and meet-and-greet areas. They then learned about fabric as a building medium. Realizing fabric would allow Dogs Trust to achieve an even greater visual impact, the decision was simple. The design brief for the project was to link up 37 kennels (pods) that were exposed to the elements with a series of covered walkways. Each walkway canopy was to provide dry space for visitors to the Centre to view dogs in the various kennels. Dogs Trust also wanted to create a large central covered gathering area with a “Wow!” factor. Overall, Dogs Trust wanted an iconic design, weather protection, a covered walkway system, a covered visitor space and a covered place to meet and greet.

In-house structural engineers had to start from square one and factor in weather conditions specific to West Calder (high levels of local rain, wind and snow loads). Then we had to study the slope of the site as the kennel buildings were at different heights. Because all of the canopies are inter-linked, the patterning, finite element analysis and form finding had to be exact. If anything was ‘off’ in the design or engineer process, the implications would domino throughout the scheme and the canopies would not work. No detail was left untouched. Rain water runoff had to be considered and hoppers were integrated throughout the canopies on the masts to keep the area dry. Water was channeled below the ground (down the masts).

We installed a large 18 meter by 10 meter Double Conic structure for the central gathering spot and a highly bespoke/modified version of one of our Signature Structures, The Hull, to serve as the model for the series of walkway canopies. Canopies were all white-on-white to keep the theme consistent throughout the Centre. We installed over 1,000 square meters of canopies creating architecturally beautiful and functional covered walkways and meet-and-greet spaces for The Dogs Trust Centre. The result is truly a world-class venue offering homes to thousands of loveable dogs in Scotland each year. Centre Manager, Susan Tonner, commented that both visitors and staff are delighted with the canopies, and that they brighten and lift the whole Centre. She stated, “Seeing a photograph of the canopies is good, but you need to see it in person to appreciate it. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t walk around the structures and still admire them! I can’t believe how it withstands the weather. Storm-force winds batter it regularly and it coped amazingly with four feet of snow for eight solid weeks - surely winter here can’t get worse than that!”

Project details

Location: West Calder, Scotland
Size: 1,000 sq.m
Fabrics: Type I & II PVC Coated Polyester