The new, LEED Gold shelter for Loudoun County is a 25,000 square-foot, animal-housing-focused facility. Cat housing options include cat runs, catios, individual housing, and catitats. Even feral cats were considered with specially designed double-decker, indoor/outdoor housing. Rooms
with purposeful housing for rabbits and other pocket pets and reptiles are also included in the facility. An entire wing of the building is dedicated to indoor/outdoor dog runs, appropriately sized by breed, that face open fields to the south. The shelter provides housing for up to 69 dogs and 122 cats/small animals.
The shelter was designed to have expansive views through the building to create a continual connection with the outdoors. Courtyards contribute to that connection and also provide additional outdoor spaces for indoor/outdoor habitats.
The building has ample daylighting in 90 percent of its spaces, significantly reducing the need for electric lighting. Geothermal energy was incorporated into the building to provide heating and cooling.
Beautiful wood ceilings provide another connection to the outdoors in the lobby, multipurpose/training room and in cat adoption.
A large, double-sided sallyport helps animal control in their efforts in this expansive and habitat-diverse community.
Project Name
Loudoun County Animal Shelter
Location
Leesburg, Virginia
Size
25,000 Square Feet
What We Did
Full Architecture & Design
