UTS Assistance Animal Relief Area

Date: Mar 25, 2024

Category: Completed projects

Assistance animals provide an invaluable service, so it’s important that they can relieve themselves with ease and dignity.

ASPECT Studios in Sydney has made this possible at UTS with the recent completion of a modular ‘dog dunny’ that aims to remove the stress from what can otherwise be a stressful process.

Our design is a bespoke and playful response to guidelines provided by Guide Dogs Australia, with each element carefully considered following a series of workshops with UTS students and visually impaired user groups. The focus of these sessions was on the experience of the user from their first interaction at the entry gate, to providing a legible, safe and welcoming environment once inside.

The project may be small, but it has had a big impact on the users who now have a secure and dignified space for their animals on campus. Consideration has been given to the positioning of facilities, with a folded steel seat providing an opportunity to rest and relax. A multi-purpose pillar provides all the tools to make a visit to the space easier: including a tap, bag dispenser, bin and sanitising station.

The modular design means the space can be easily replicated or packed up and moved to follow demand across the campus.

The project builds on a long-running collaborative relationship between ASPECT and UTS. Most recently the practice completed the transformative Alumni Green project at the Ultimo campus.