Building the Rat House

The Live Animals Rat House was one of the exhibits where I was given the most independence in designing and building the final product. Here is a series of photos illustrating its development:

1. The rat enclosure with its plastic tubes.

2. The final design in Google Sketchup. The blueprint went through several iterations before I settled on this result. The dimensions of the space were taken into account.

3. An MDF mock-up of the unit. I built this to see how the real structure would look when placed in the space, as well as how the rats interacted with it.

4. The rats quickly acclimated to the new conditions. Building physical model allowed me to make several revisions to the design.

5. The MDF model and the final product. We decided to build the unit out of HDPE plastic because of its durability and sturdiness. Note the slight modifications to the newer design. Every attempt was made to increase its openness and decrease its weight.

6. The final product after installation.

7. The rats were quick to explore the new surroundings.