Chicken Coops as Transspecies Architecture: Six Projects Rethink Human-Animal Coexistence

An ArchDaily article explores how contemporary chicken coop design mediates human-animal relationships across rural and urban contexts. Six projects illustrate diverse approaches: SO? Architecture and Ideas' House of Chickens in eastern Turkey, part of the Palanga Art and Architecture Farm, uses timber and cross ventilation to revitalize a depopulated landscape. CARD's Kenmore Pavilion in Brisbane integrates a coop from reclaimed materials into a suburban garden. Leeko Studio's coop at Næra Hotel in rural China makes animal husbandry visible for tourists, using modular timber. Tropical Space's Chicken House in Vietnam supports an elderly couple's retirement with shared domestic space. Driearchitecten's House b·o in Belgium places chickens on a rooftop garden in a dense city. 2M26's Niwatorigoya in Kyoto adapts Ise shrine joinery for free-range chickens, preserving traditional construction. All projects prioritize chicken welfare—elevated roosts, nesting, ventilation—while addressing human priorities like sustainability, food literacy, heritage, and urban density. The article argues that the coop reveals evolving societal values, serving as a record of transspecies design.