Garrison Architects

Staten Island Animal Care Center

Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber

Staten Island Animal Care Center

Garrison Architects

LANSCAPE ARCHITECT
Wallace Roberts And Todd

MANUFACTURERS
Sika, Extech, Kawneer, Nucor Vulcraft, Peerless Lighting, Shoe-line, Stainless Steel Doors, Westbrook Concrete Block

CIVIL ENGINEER
Wohl & O’mara

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Murray Engineering

PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
James Garrison

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Cline Beatrice Bernstein Lighting Design

MEP ENGINEER
Plus Group Consulting Engineering PLLC

PROJECT MANAGER
Anthony Andrews

PHOTOGRAPHS
Eduard Hueber

AREA
511 m²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Staten Island, United States

CATEGORY
Animal Shelter

Text description provided by architect.

The Staten Island Animal Care Center creates a humane and controlled environment for animals awaiting adoption.

Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber
Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber

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.

Dispersing the animals along the exterior mitigates any disruption caused by a single, troubled animal, and improves the mood of all by providing them with copious natural light. 

This social strategy, combined with the translucent exterior, creates a lively façade populated by animals. At night, the soft glow of the building illuminates an otherwise dark neighborhood.

Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber
Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber
Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber

The building is sheathed in a highly insulating, translucent polycarbonate envelope which maximizes natural light and allows for a very lightweight structure.

Light enters the building from all directions via a recessed clerestory court creating a pathway for natural ventilation. Since animal shelters do not recycle ventilation air, heat energy can be recovered from exhaust air.

The building is designed as a low-budget, high-performance facility using locally produced materials with high recycled content.

Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber
Staten Island Animal Care Center
© Eduard Hueber

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.


Staten Island Animal Care Center
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Staten Island Animal Care Center
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Staten Island Animal Care Center
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Staten Island Animal Care Center
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Staten Island Animal Care Center
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Staten Island Animal Care Center
Axo

Garrison Architects
T +1 718 5968300
Garrison Architects
45 Main St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States