KITI + Twig
—A project to demonstrate the practical value of the Twig network as a way to realize ideas and develop products with wood.
Here we document the entire process A-Z: ideas, conversations, problems, solutions, choices, design, materials, budget, technical aspects, plans, changes, surprises, delays, failures, innovations, successes, more surprises, adaptations, parties involved…etc
KITI logo
About KITI
KITI was started by Daniel Campbell, a Canadian living in Japan. The idea was to make cat houses for stray cats, because it rains a lot and there are stray cats who could use some shelter. It was a charitable idea, not a business, but given the positive response, there is potential for something more.
Daniel made about 15 houses, each unique, and then met Twig. Twig will help KITI create a commercial product based on a few KITI house prototypes.
To see the houses, visit KITI.ca or @kitidotca
Steps
1. Concept + Design
2. Prototype + Production
3. Marketing + Sales
1. Concept + Design
D: The first houses were made from scrap siding wood from my neighbour’s newly built house in Atami, Japan. The concept and design was simply ‘a house for a cat’. No drawings or plans were made. My neighbour helped me build a basic structure and I got some ideas on how to decorate it. I added a temple roof tile, and a noren (Japanese style cloth door). The following houses each had a theme, something inspired by a location, architecture, a stray kitty…
Later, more houses were made from design sketches. Each design was a prototype, unique.
Spring 2020
Atami, Japan
2. Prototype + Production
Twig consulted with KITI on which designs would be best to manufacture as products.
December 2020
Vancouver, Canada
This page will be updated as the project progresses…
Connecting people to inspire innovation in wood since 2012.
TWIG operates on the unceded territories of the Indigenous Peoples who have lived in deep relationship with the lands and forests we now call British Columbia since time immemorial. We recognize and honour the enduring stewardship, knowledge, and cultures of these Nations—whose care over generations shaped the very forests that gave rise to BC’s forestry industry. We also acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the near-erasure of many old-growth ecosystems and the displacement of Indigenous communities and cultural practices connected to these ancient forests.
As we work to shape the future of BC’s forest products industry, we are committed to pathways that integrate Indigenous perspectives, support cultural resurgence, and foster a renewed relationship to land, materials, and community—one grounded in respect, regeneration, and transformative change.
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