Beestig Snoezelhuis / Animal Snoezelhouse

Abstract

De Kleppe is an organisation that organises holidays for children with impairments. Animals are supportive in serving wellbeing. For their daily activities they need a house that supports "snoezelen" and offers a studio for two supervisors who can stay for a while in place. Based on the study together with "De Kleppe" we organised an excercise for 1st Bachelor students in architecture. Inspired by research they were asked to design this snoezelhouse. Out of about 100 final design outcomes, the 5 best designs were selected and we organised an exhibition out of these examples in the UD living lab in Hasselt. This exhibition was also used during an event at "De Kleppe". Besides having the director of De kleppe as one of our jury members, the organisation received several results which they could immediately integrate into their daily environment. This is an organisation struggling with funding and every creative contribution is an added value. Moreover they realize that for all users, children as well as animals, creative solutions make the holiday experiences a greater success. This is an example of how research by design can have an immediate social value in society.