Thesis Project - Veterinary/Shelter Complex
By: Katie Turner
El Cajon Shelter
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My two main interests in life are architecture and animals. All my life I have had a multitude of animals, cats, dogs, chickens, a goose one time. I've also been fostering kittens since as long as I can remember, we've saved well over 100 cats by now. So in thinking about what I would do for my thesis project, I thought why not combine the things I love. I wanted to go all out, and so I put every type of building associated with animals I could altogether in a complex. There was of course the animal shelter, then boarding and grooming, and then the senior shelter for dumped pets, and then three different types of vet clinics. One vet clinic will be the main one, you have every animal in the area ale to come in for routine appointments. Then I have two specialty clinics with two specialties for each building. One will have a neurology and cardiac center, and the other an orthopedic and cancer center. I figure this way there is a way to get every service an animal could possibly need in it's life and even the extras for special cases. The senior home will take in all hospice cases that have a low chance of adoption, they will live out their lives in a homey environment far away from the stress of a shelter and with all the comforts of a home.
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Concept Designs
For my concepts I came up with a couple different options for each building, and decided that the two specialty clinics would be mirrored across their center line to allow for two vet clinics to be put together. I decided to name them the sunrise and sunset clinics mostly because of their lobby shapes, and because I wanted them to be on the west and east sides of my site respectively. I did not dive too far into a site concept as that was not my main goal this semester. I will be working on a site concept next semester but I only needed a general placement idea for now. Each building is designed for the ease of employees and animals above all else, and clients have an easy way to flow through buildings like the shelter that allow them to see all the animals and meet with them away from the kennels.
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“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France
Final Designs
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Boarding and Grooming
To the right is Boarding and grooming, combined to allow clients to book pets in for boarding and get a groom while they're staying. It has three rooms to separate sizes and energies in dogs, and the small dogs have their own patio deck on the top floor. Cats also have two boarding rooms, along with a catio and their own cages where they can roam on a rotating basis. There is also a pool on the first floor, to be used for therapy, parties, or special activity days for the dogs. All bottom floor dog rooms and the pool can be accessed by a garage door out into their separate yards. Clients can walk between boarding and grooming so that they are connected and yet still separate, grooming also has a wall to break up and altercations and keep stress levels down. Senior Shelter
The senior home, as I call it, is not meant primarily for the public. Dogs, cats, and birds come here to live out their days or when they have a fatal disease and need to be kept isolated. There are rooms set up to allow separate runs and then an open space to be filled with couches, rugs, and even beds. The more it feels like a home the better. The food prep area is connected to both for all meds and food needs. The isolation room has its own food prep area to keep contamination down. The isolation rooms are also meant for aggressive dogs that need somewhere to be away from other dogs. They can come out into the shared space or the yard one at a time but it will be without seeing other dogs. Sunrise Clinic
The sunrise clinic is my personal favorite, not only in terms of outward appearance but because above the treatment area, there is a stretch of windows letting light come down. This opens the space up and allows in natural lighting, important for anyone stuck in a building 8 hours a day. The office is also tucked under the edge, able to look out into treatment directly across from it. The spaces are mirrored to each other with the capability to cross over if needed. Reception is the only shared area, but I made sure that any files being stored stay separate to avoid any mishaps. |
Animal Shelter
The shelter is equipped with two wings, this can be utilized to separate by sizes, noise level, or however dogs need to be separated. All runs have an outdoor space connected by a guillotine door to allow a change of pace and a place to relive themselves when they need to. There is a separate food prep area for employees so that noise cannot interrupt them while working, and clients can come through the kennels without walking through the food prep area. There are multiple meet and greet rooms for potential adoptions as well as offices and a real meeting room for any public interaction or for other needs. On the top floor you will also find an aviary and a secluded nursery. Birds often outlive their owners, and shelters will be getting litters and pregnant animals all the time. They must be equipped to deal with this. Main Vet Clinic
The main clinic has the most rooms, six of them. This is because people are coming here for normal appointments most of the time along with routine surgeries. There is a dental corner to keep dentals out of the treatment area and to reduce foot traffic in the area. Offices all look into treatment so that people can come to assist someone quickly. There is also a smaller separate kennel area for long term patients or anyone making a lot of noise during their stay. This keeps dogs out of the isolation kennels where contagious dogs might need to be. There is also a separate kennel prep and cat room for kennel techs to do their jobs away from the vet techs and the doctors. Employees also have their own office where they can keep personal belongings and changes of clothes. The bathroom also has a shower for any incidents. Sunset Clinic
The sunset clinic is similar, as the idea behind the two building remains relatively the same. This one merely has the lobby rounded outwards instead of inwards. This one has less lighting coming in from the top but it is still just as good. This time offices are tucked a little more away, just change of pace for a little peace and quiet for anyone doing paperwork. |
Overall
If you look back at all the buildings you'll see a pattern. There are three pairs of building, each with their own styles. The materials used to build remain the same to keep everything looking like they belong together, but the designs are different. Boarding and the Shelter have curved roofs and brightly colored outer wall, the Senior Home and the main Vet Clinic have classic roofs to give them that home feel, and the two specialty clinics have very angular modern roofs to add in a bit of movement for the eye. I wanted them different to stay away from a boring set of buildings all on the same site, and I wanted to try different things. All of these building do what I set them out to do perfectly.
If you look back at all the buildings you'll see a pattern. There are three pairs of building, each with their own styles. The materials used to build remain the same to keep everything looking like they belong together, but the designs are different. Boarding and the Shelter have curved roofs and brightly colored outer wall, the Senior Home and the main Vet Clinic have classic roofs to give them that home feel, and the two specialty clinics have very angular modern roofs to add in a bit of movement for the eye. I wanted them different to stay away from a boring set of buildings all on the same site, and I wanted to try different things. All of these building do what I set them out to do perfectly.