The animals at the South Los Angeles Animal Care Center, which opens next month, are going to live in high style--they'll have retractable roofs on their outdoor kennels, plant screens so they only see greenery and not each other (so they don't freak out), and radiant heating and overhead misters in the kennel runs. It's all the work of architect Rania Alomar (who previously worked on Staples Center with NBBJ), reports the LA Times. She was asked to "Create a temporary home for animals that increases their comfort, and by virtue of the shelter's design, makes people want to adopt a pet," and she came back with a building that mimics the layout of a retail center: "The architect thought of shoppers at a mall who allow themselves to be sidetracked by small boutiques on their way to a large department store, so at the shelter she created a series of displays with the hope of enticing them to consider 'alternative' pets such as reptiles or bunnies or older dogs rather than, say, puppies, which are often the first to be adopted." The hope is that the architectural experience increases adoptions (and cuts down on euthanasia).
Filed under:
Loading comments...