Explore A Daycare In Gurugram Where Design Goes Off-Leash

Exploratory. Playful. Layered. These are just a few words that come to mind when witnessing The Good Dog Company, an unusually vibrant daycare and boarding center for dogs, conceived by principal architects Arjun Chopra of AR.CH Studio and Saumyaa Taneja of Meronym in Gurugram, Haryana. Displaying incredible spatial intelligence, specialised colour receptors for blues and yellows, and a sense of smell 10,000 times more powerful than that of the average human, dogs are among the few animals that have become an indispensable part of our domestic lives in civilized societies. “The client, a professional dog trainer, had a clear brief from the outset: to craft a space that responds to how dogs move, perceive, and interact with the world,” Saumyaa clues us in. Featuring a dichromatic palette, rotating flap doors, and lush interludes of greenery, this 4,500 sq. ft. canine paradise is made even more immersive by translating a spellbinding array of textures into an empathetic medium for storytelling.

“The client’s brief translated spatially into a horizontally layered plan, where the zoning strategy was guided by prioritising visibility, sensory variety, and freedom of movement,” share principal architects Arjun Chopra (AR.CH Studio) and Saumyaa Taneja (Meronym).

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Designed For Canine Curiosity

Following a fluid yet intentional zoning, the facility endeavours to forge an emotional connection with man’s best friend, scaling the built environment to the four-legged perspective while evoking the qualities of a natural habitat. The pre-existing trees along the periphery were left undisturbed, and a cobbled walkway meanders around manicured bushes. This landscape allows the human-centric zones such as the drop-off area, reception, and offices to sit upfront, forming a buffer around the core pet-friendly ‘classroom’ spaces.

“The site layout follows a more fragmented design that fosters a sense of exploration,” Arjun points out. “By zoning the area into a series of interlinked indoor-outdoor spaces, a natural flow was created.” This thoughtful planning extends to material choices as well, each attuned to a dog’s inherent needs—from the textured mortar finish of the exterior façade, resilient to mud, rain, and sharp claws, to the rubber tile flooring within the main training hall that offers both grip and acoustic comfort.

For Those Who See in Blue and Yellow

Scientists once assumed that dogs could experience the world only in black and white. This urban legend was foiled in the late 1980s, when it was discovered that our furry companions are privy to shades of blue and yellow, but not to reds and greens. The architects of The Good Dog Company tastefully incorporated this insight as a cornerstone of the design narrative. Step through the canary yellow French glass doors of the reception, and you’ll find yourself in a sun-dappled waiting area, wrapped in large MS-framed windows and crowned by a 10-foot-high ceiling in navy blue. 

Opposite the reception, a nautical-themed office features crisp white walls, a recessed skylight casting a subaqueous radiance upon the slatted wooden flooring, and a foldable MS ladder ascending to a mezzanine-level makeshift bedroom for the client. This attic-like bunker opens onto a private terrace, contiguous with the reception terrace and linked by a connecting bridge—an ideal vantage point to survey the central courtyard, where agility toys and a splash pool keep the dogs endlessly entertained.

Where Every Corner Says “Good Dog”

This enrichment centre is truly a dog’s fever dream come alive. A stone staircase chequered in blue-and-white tiles, paired with an adjoining slide for the more adventurous pups, leads directly into a lively central courtyard. Here, an obstacle course of inflatable tyres, balls for fetch, and athletic ladders await eager paws.

The training hall embraces an open floor plan, with low-height partition gates forming flexible enclosures. Astronomy tower-style rotational windows serve as a defining leitmotif, punctuating the walls with lookout points where dogs can rise on their heels to observe the courtyard beyond. Throughout the day, a shifting patchwork of light and shadow cast by these whimsical openings creates warm sunbathing spots. In contrast to the rubber flooring, the pristine white walls and ceilings burst with pop murals of animated characters, infusing the space with a cheerful, kindergarten-like naïveté.

A Lesson in Empathy

The sensory-rich environs of The Good Dog Company, brought to life by Ar. Arjun Chopra of AR.CH Studio and Ar. Saumyaa Taneja of Meronym, reflect a compassionate plea to account for how other species perceive and interact with the world. Beyond gaining traction on Pinterest since 2022, the design fad of ‘barkitecture’ has done more than reinvent the dog bath or offer an endless reserve of pet-forward ateliers for sourcing rugged, durable furniture. It has decentred the human lens within architecture, shifted focus back to our relationship with nature, and urged us to reconsider our role in the larger scheme of things.