Denver International Airport Hosts Sustainable BARKitecture Dog House Competition

Most Wag-Worthy Solar Dog Houses Under the Sun

DENVER – Sept. 19, 2017 – If you are a dog lover looking for the best digs in town for your four-legged friend, then you will want to check out the most wag-worthy solar dog houses in Denver. You can view 15 of the most environmentally friendly, creative dog houses through Oct. 9 at Denver International Airport’s (DEN) Sustainable BARKitecture Dog House Competition. The dog houses, which were designed and built by local design and architecture firms, are located for public viewing on the plaza between the Westin Denver International Airport and the Jeppesen Terminal, just steps from the commuter rail station.

In addition to gathering ideas for your own dog house, you can help select some of the winners through online voting that takes place now through Oct. 5 at www.flydenver.com/bark. Through the public voting, one dog house will be named the winner of the “People’s Choice Award” and another will be named the winner of the “Kid’s Choice Award.” Passengers, families, children and dog lovers are all welcome and encouraged to participate in the online voting.

Additional awards will be given to the “Best in Show,” “Most Sustainable,” and “Most Innovation” and will be selected by a panel made up of representatives from DEN, Dumb Friends League, Panasonic and the U.S. Department of Energy. All the winners will be announced on Oct. 9 at a special event on the plaza from 4-6 p.m.

More importantly, dog lovers can also take home the house of their dog’s dreams through an online auction hosted by the Dumb Friends League. Bids will be accepted through Oct. 9 at midnight at www.flydenver.com/bark. All proceeds will support the Dumb Friends League’s mission of ending pet homelessness and animal suffering.

“DEN is an environmental leader and one of the highest solar-generating airports in the country,” airport CEO Kim Day said. “We are proud to help Colorado reduce its carbon paw print through this fun, worthwhile competition that supports a great organization dedicated to our four-legged friends.”

Members of DEN’s Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) program served as inspiration for the design of the houses, which had to cater to the dog’s size, unique personality and preferences. In addition to solar energy, each dog house integrates sustainable features like rainwater collection, solar-powered lights or fans, reclaimed materials or passive cooling.

Panasonic donated the solar panels for this unique competition and local design and architecture firms donated their time and materials to create these unique dog houses. Below is the list of the 15 competing firms and their DEN CATS team member. To learn more about the CATS chosen to assist with the competition and the overall CATS program at DEN, visit www.flydenver.com/cats.

• AECOM – inspired by Nellye, a golden retriever
• Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture – inspired by Butler, a shepherd mix
• BurkettEUA and Maxson Engineering – inspired by Samson, a golden retriever
• Burns McDonnell – inspired by Oreo, a shih tzu/bichon mix
• CooverClark – inspired by Jewels, a Pyrenees/Labrador retriever mix
• Corona Design – inspired by Annie, a terrier mix
• Davis Partnership Architects & The RHM Group – inspired by Oreo, a St. Bernard/standard poodle mix
• Gensler – inspired by Sidney, an Australian shepherd
• Jacobs – inspired by CATS’ Amelia, a dachshund
• Kephart – inspired by Chewy, a 135-pound Newfoundland
• Oz Architecture – inspired by Radar, a Belgian Malinois
• RNL now Stantec – inspired by Choo Choo, a 100-pound Newfoundland
• RS & H – inspired by Pesto, a Labrador retriever
• Wong Strauch Architects – inspired by Sarah, a standard poodle
• Zaga Neighborhood Design – inspired by Ingrid a golden retriever/Labrador retriever mix

A DEN team has also designed and built a sustainable dog house that will be part of the online auction to benefit the Dumb Friends League. DEN’s dog house is inspired by Baily, a 90-pound black Labrador retriever /Great Dane mix and is on display in the center of the Great Hall in the Jeppesen Terminal.

DEN’s Sustainable BARKitecture Dog House Competition is being held in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which will be held on airport property at 61st and Peña Blvd. from Oct. 5-15. The Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition of 10 contests that challenge student teams to design and build full-size, energy-efficient, solar-powered houses. The winning team most successfully blends design excellence, smart energy strategies, innovation, and market potential. The Solar Decathlon allows visitors to tour the team houses free of charge and visit the Sustainability Expo to gather ideas to use in their own homes. For more information about the Solar Decathlon, visit www.solDOEardecathlon.gov.

About the Dumb Friends League

Founded in 1910, the Dumb Friends League is the largest community-based animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region, helping pets and people in the Denver metro area and beyond. In 2012, the League expanded the scope of its services to include providing shelter, care and hope for abused and neglected equines in Colorado. Last year the League placed more than 19,000 homeless pets and horses. The Dumb Friends League has shelters at 2080 S. Quebec St. in Denver and the Buddy Center at 4556 Castleton Court in Castle Rock, as well as the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center™ at 5540 E. Hwy. 86 in Franktown. For more information, visit ddfl.org or call (303) 751-5772.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $36 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.

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