2007 Petchitecture 12... a paws-itive cause for paws
PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) is a San Francisco non-profit organization dedicated to help low-income people, living with AIDS and other disabling illnesses, maintain the love and companionship of their pets.
2007 Petchitecture 12, the flagship fund-raiser for PAWS, involved an open invitation to Bay Area architects, interior designers and artists to build a unique pet habitat for the live auction showcased at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square. A devoted participant in the last 6 years, MBH was among one of the several featured “Petchitects”…honored to be considered along with other renown designers such as SOM, Anshen + Allen and Knoll Furniture.
With a huge collaborative team effort (MBH’s Kentaro Abe, Wilse Alfonso, Ryan Boe, Kay Chung, Kasia Gan, Joe Irwin, Vivian Kwok, Carolyn Pan, Juan Rodriguez, Julie Stewart and Ian Thomas…working together with Chris Capo + Alameda’s Ferry Point shop team as well as Robert Austin of LaZercut), MBH created 3 pieces (2 designs) for this year’s Petchitecture auction.
Inspired by Gehry, MBH’s set of pet habitats was an exploration of cardboard, one of the most abundant, reusable and environmentally pet-friendly materials, salvaging the honeycomb packaging pads for “clawd” and the donated corrugated sheets for “pawd + mini-pawd” (fused together with several gallons of non-toxic glue). In the end, “clawd” sold for $300 to the proud new owners, Elizabeth Quinn and her kitty, Taittinger, while “pawd + mini-pawd” were auctioned off for $1,100 to a long-time local supporter of PAWS, turning in the fourth highest winning bid of the evening to help raise money for PAWS!
“It’s our people who make great places”…for creatures of all kinds.