San Antonio, Tex.
Alamo Architects

Photography © Paul Barbagjy

A communal feel delights inhabitants, clients, and staff

"A result of very direct programming, a desirable location, and really nice buildings." —Rand Elliott, FAIA Architect Alamo Architects www.alamoarchitects.com Client Humane Society/SPCA of San Antonio and Bexar County Key players Tom Green and Company (m/e/p); Fisher Engineering (civil); WSC Structural Engineers (structural); John Meister Landscape Architecture (landscape); Connolly Architects (shelter design consultant); Metropolitan Contracting (general contractor)

Program: Cold, impersonal, dank, and odiferous animal shelters are typically unpleasant both for animals and the employees and volunteers who care for them. The program for this new facility sought to use design to reverse this pattern. Higher adoption rates, lower animal return rates, and increased retention and recruitment of employees were among the goals of the facility.

Solution: The architects designed the new shelter like a retail complex. They situated the building on a prominent site in an affluent area of town. A large front porch serves as a visual billboard, inviting passersby to come inside. Consisting of several small buildings organized around a central courtyard, the shelter's scale enhances the communal feel. Large, sloping roofs respond to the hot Texas climate, producing a comforting residential feel. The passage through these buildings is like meandering through the aisles of a store. The more sought-after goods—in this case, puppies and kittens—are reached only after traveling through the rest of the space where adult animals reside. Since its opening, adoption rates are up 95 percent, and three times as many adult dogs and cats have been adopted than before. The facility's educational center is constantly booked thanks to enhanced public awareness of the shelter and its initiatives.

For more images please see the November 2004 issue or Architectural Record.
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Browse the Projects

The Winners: Limerick County Hall | Britomart Transport Centre | Ehime Prefectural Budokan | Humane Society/SPCA of San Antonio and Bexar County | James M. Wood Comm. Cntr. | Finn Center, Community School of Music and Arts | Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center | MoMA QNS | Iron Studio, Penland School | Israeli Foreign Ministry

The Finalists: Quintessa Winery | FDNY Fire Zone | University Health Network/ Toronto Hospita | General Mills, World Headquarters | Hotel Monaco (Tariff Building) | Marion Oliver McCaw Hall | Ford Rouge Center | San Francisco Ferry Building | Brentwood Skytrain Station

Editors' Choice: Satellite Operations Facility & Administrative Offices | Montclair Lofts

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