People’s Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) now occupies an existing animal shelter in Tinley Park, IL, a suburb south of Chicago, about 30 minutes from downtown which has been in existence since 1974. PAWS has completely outgrown its existing 5,500 SF building and is looking to build a new state-of-the-art, 23,000 SF animal shelter. The new shelter will reflect the latest concepts of Animal Shelter Design and contain the finest animal care technology available today. The shelter entry, with its animal sculpture columns, is divided into an Adoption side and a Surrender side. Adjacent to the Adoption Waiting Areas are dog and cat adoption counseling rooms and a pet supply/retail store. Adjacent to the Surrender Waiting area are surrender counseling rooms. A central Interactive Corridor provides physical and visual access to all public areas of the shelter including nursing puppy areas, nursing kitten areas, adoptable cat wards, cat playrooms, cat bonding cubicles, non-nursing kitten cubicles, dog adoption suites, glass-roofed indoor dog exercise yards, dog bonding rooms, an animal art gallery and a large Humane Education Meeting Room that can be subdivided into two smaller conference rooms and/or training, obedience and agility classrooms. Phase 2 includes a Spay/Neuter Clinic.

The 33,360 SF Thomas W. Mayfield Regional Animal Service Center located in Modesto, California serves the animal control needs of Stanislaus County and the surrounding five communities. Having outgrown its existing and outdated animal services facility, the County made a comprehensive commitment, in part through this new construction project, to reduce the number of unwanted animals and to increase adoptions in the region. The design goals for the facility are echoed in the programming and floor plan via an interactive corridor, adoption holding areas, puppy/kitten display rooms, “get-acquainted” areas, and educational kiosks, all of which are aimed at fostering pet adoption. From a utilitarian viewpoint, the facility has been designed to efficiently service the nearly 550 housed animals as well as to serve as the home to the County’s Animal Control services, including those pertaining to cruelty investigations. As “Bridging Architect” for the project, <strong>rfa</strong> was able to successfully design it well below the County’s limited construction budget. Additionally, <strong>rfa</strong> provided guidance and support to the County throughout what was viewed by the public as a very controversial project during a troublesome economic climate.