Modern building with illuminated interior, glass entrance, yellow accents, dark brick wall, trees, and pathway at dusk.
Modern building with large glass windows, black brick walls, and yellow framing, surrounded by a garden of white and pink daisies and trees against a partly cloudy sky.
Modern building with a yellow facade featuring circular windows, metal siding, and trees with green leaves, under a partly cloudy sky.
An indoor area with a gray concrete floor, gray and dark gray brick walls, a door with a circular window, and exposed yellow ducts and lighting fixtures on the ceiling.

The new facility locates the animals in prime spaces with cages facing the exterior in a single row wrapping the building. These spaces feature natural ventilation and light, which is accomplished by raising the roof and adding a clerestory between the lower and the higher perimeter roof as well as operable louvers on the exterior walls.

Top-down architectural site plan of a building surrounded by trees, parking spaces, and outdoor areas.

The building is designed as a low budget, high performance facility using locally produced materials with high recycled content. Materials were chosen to withstand abuse and minimize long term maintenance costs, further reinforcing the life cycle sustainability of the building. Landscape design follows a similar principle using drought tolerant indigenous plantings to lower maintenance and water use.

Cross-section of a building with yellow-highlighted interior spaces, showing airflow pathways and a dog icon indicating a designated area for pets.

The Staten Island Animal Care Center creates a humane and controlled environment for animals awaiting adoption. The heart of the design is a reversal of the typical arrangement of animal care facilities: animals are housed around the perimeter of the building while offices and service functions are placed in the interior. Since the staff spends most of its time with the animals, this arrangement benefits both.

Row of animal kennels or cages in a veterinary or animal care facility, with a dog visible in one of the cages.
Reception area in a modern veterinary clinic with blue seating, a wooden reception desk, yellow and red ductwork on the ceiling, glass walls, and lockers.
An exploded axonometric diagram of a building showing various modules including concealed mechanical equipment, peripheral structures, spiral duct, structural framework, cattery, core functions, and animal enclosures along perimeter.