This adaptive re-use project has transformed a 30-year old warehouse in Doral, Florida into a 70,000 square foot animal services center, making it the largest climate controlled animal shelter in the country. The Miami-Dade Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center provides total care and advanced veterinary medical services for animals within a playful environment that invites the public inside. In turn, the design aids the shelter in its ultimate goal of successful pet adoptions.

To advance the cause of pet adoption, the main circulation of the shelter was conceived as a shopping experience for visitors looking for a pet. The entry of the "Mall" is highlighted by two feature rooms that house the shelter's "Dog of the Week" while the North and South side of the Mall are flanked with kennels to house other dogs that imitate store fronts. Within the space a wall of alternating benches creates visual barriers for the animals housed in the kennels and provides for human-animal interaction.  An exposed mall-like corridor runs along the east-west axis of the existing warehouse filtering light in an effort to brighten the space. The corridor culminates at the end with a pet pavilion. The elliptical glass enclosed space serves as a meeting room, educational space and an area for exhibition.

With the facility located in an urban environment with exposure to pollution, weather, and salty air, the architectural firm was looking for a protective coating that would be aesthetically appealing and corrosion resistant. The galvanizer presented the option of a duplex coating for the main façade, canopy entrance and side courtyard.  In addition to the aesthetics and corrosion resistance, hot-dip galvanizing also provides complete coverage, ensuring the shelter can continue connecting pets with new owners uninterrupted for decades.