Plains Animal Hospital New and Improved Facility

A truly great addition to our area has come via the Plains Animal Hospital/Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital and their brand new facility that employs sustainable design techniques. After 10 years of planning, Douglas Ayers idea to build the first green animal hospital and specialty animal care unit in the       A truly great addition to our area has come via the Plains Animal Hospital/Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital and their brand new facility that employs sustainable design techniques. After 10 years of planning, Douglas Ayers idea to build the first green animal hospital and specialty animal care unit in the area has finally come to life. The facilities also offer 24-hour emergency services. For the final design, Ayers called upon the sustainable architecture expertise of Bakker & Lewis Architects. The site chosen was a previously developed parcel of land which contained construction debris, dumped from prior construction. Lewis worked closely with Ayers in the design phase of the project.
      The building and property embrace many sustainable building features. Inside, the building utilizes efficient lighting designs and motion-sensing light switches to reduce energy consumption. To reduce water consumption, surgical sinks with foot pedal controls and low water usage toilets were installed. Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) units were installed on the roof and can save sixty to eighty percent of heat or cold from exhausted air and apply it to fresh air entering the building. Materials and finishes were carefully chosen. Floor mats and waiting area counter tops are made of recycled materials. Other recycled materials include roof insulation, which is made from recycled newspaper.
      To cut lighting costs a technique called daylighting was implemented, which is based on the intended east-west orientation of the building, and is great for solar lighting. Along with daylighting techniques, tubular skylights were installed in central treatment rooms to provide additional natural light.
Outside the facility, a great deal of effort is made to manage storm water run off. Rainwater from parking areas is filtered through vegetated swales to reduce runoff and improve water quality. Roof drainage passes through a rain garden and a series of oversized, underground pipes to slow storm water surges. The parking lot consists of driving surface aggregate, which eliminates all asphalt, and stabilizes the surface while minimizing dust.
      Although all of the sustainable building features were not listed above, it is evident that each piece complements other features of the building. Additional costs of materials for sustainable building added approximately five percent to overall building costs. For a full list of features check the added attachment below.