There’s no question that we are living in an era where dogs are deified – treated less as pets and more as family members. If proof were needed, look no further than the recently opened ‘Architecture for Dogs’ exhibition at Milan’s ADI Design Museum, running until 16 February 2025. First presented at Design Miami in 2012 and following a successful European showcase in London in 2020, this latest edition features canine architecture by design luminaries such as Shigeru Ban, Toyo Ito, Konstantin Grcic, and Kengo Kuma, underscoring the growing cultural fascination with our four-legged companions.
Designed with specific breeds in mind and displayed on a series of curated islands, the pieces range from the practical to the fantastical. Shigeru Ban, for instance, crafted an undulating maze and bed for a Papillon (or Continental Toy Spaniel) using ubiquitous cardboard tubes, while Reiser + Umemoto created a cloud-like orange coat tailored for a Chihuahua. Even Giorgio Armani makes an appearance, with a dog-focused capsule collection designed in collaboration with Poldo Dog Couture.
