01 Spatial System
Separated routes and readable zoning
Pet, owner, staff and emergency circulation are organized to reduce cross-traffic, noise and unnecessary contact during treatment.
Animal-Centered Service & Spatial Design
From the Pet's Perspective
An empathetic veterinary clinic designed around how animals perceive care.
The project reframes veterinary care through pets' sensory and emotional experience, connecting low-stress spatial planning, clearer treatment feedback and pet-friendly waiting furniture.
A veterinary clinic proposal that shifts the design focus from human convenience to the sensory, behavioral and emotional needs of pets.
Project Type
Academic Project / Animal-Centered Service & Spatial Design
My Contribution
Research synthesis, service strategy, flow and spatial planning, interface concept, furniture design and 3D visualization
Duration
2025
Deliverables
Clinic system proposal, spatial model, waiting furniture, operating-room display and design report
Tools & Methods
Blender, service blueprinting, spatial modeling, paper prototyping and rendering
Context
China Academy of Art, Art & Technology Academic Project
Project Scope
This is a spatial and service design proposal developed through research, modeling and prototype iteration. It has not been built as a full-scale veterinary clinic.
Final Outcome
A clinic system designed for lower stress and clearer care.
The final proposal combines separated circulation, visible treatment information and pet-specific waiting furniture into one coordinated care experience.
02 Process Visibility
Readable treatment feedback
An external operating-room display communicates surgery progress, vital signs and basic health information to reduce uncertainty for owners.
03 Waiting Experience
Shared furniture with protected pet space
Furniture integrates human seating with low, sheltered resting zones so pets can remain close to their owners without being fully exposed.
04 Ward Zoning
Care intensity guides spatial allocation
Critical care, postoperative recovery, isolation and observation areas are allocated according to urgency, supervision needs, circulation and environmental comfort.
Design Challenge
Most veterinary clinics are planned around people first.
Existing clinic layouts often prioritize operational convenience while overlooking how animals respond to noise, crossing routes, separation and unfamiliar procedures.
Pets, owners, staff and emergency movement overlap, increasing confusion and stress.
Open waiting and treatment areas offer limited acoustic control or protected retreat.
Owners receive little process feedback while pets are separated for treatment.
Human-scaled seating rarely supports pet posture, sensory comfort or proximity needs.
Design Strategy
Three principles organize the experience.
The design translates animal-centered care into spatial, emotional and informational decisions.
Sensory Decompression
Reduce stress through quieter routes, lower exposure, softer materials, calmer lighting and protected resting positions.
Emotional Accompaniment
Keep pets and owners visually or physically connected where possible, while creating moments of reassurance during separation.
Process Visibility
Use clear status information and readable service touchpoints to make care feel more understandable and less uncertain.
Research & Criteria
From reference cases to a pet-friendly design framework.
Six veterinary and animal-care precedents were compared across spatial organization, circulation and furniture, then translated into a shared design criteria system.
Quiet zoning, visual retreat, pet separation and environmental comfort.
Clear circulation, direct first aid, reduced crossover and emergency access.
Human-pet sharing, safe scale, soft contact and protected positions.
Flow & Space Design
A modular plan separates movement while keeping care connected.
Triangular modules were iterated to create clearer zoning, shorter treatment routes and more independent circulation for pets, owners, staff and emergencies.
Consulting, examination and operating areas are connected through shorter treatment routes.
Staff, pet, owner and emergency paths remain legible and less likely to intersect.
Elevator access is divided by cats, dogs and emergency use to reduce conflict and delay.
Prototype Iteration
Paper models exposed circulation and visibility problems early.
Two paper-prototype rounds were used to test spatial allocation, waiting-area separation, operating-room visibility and vertical circulation before the digital model was refined.
The plan was reorganized into clearer functional zones and more legible treatment connections.
Pet routes and waiting positions were refined to reduce acoustic and visual conflict.
Visibility was shifted toward filtered information and selective glazing rather than full exposure.
Experience Details
Small touchpoints extend the spatial strategy.
Furniture scale, posture, material and information feedback support a calmer waiting and treatment experience.
Reflection
This project helped me connect service logic, spatial planning, information design and physical touchpoints around one non-human user's experience.
The proposal is based on research and prototype iteration; further development would require veterinary, behavioral and architectural validation.
A future phase could test full-scale waiting modules, validate circulation with clinic staff and develop the operating-room information interface as an interactive prototype.
