Eastern Madera County SPCA Animal Care & Adoption Center - Ahwahnee, California
Posted: September 13, 2023 | Projects
The Eastern Madera County SPCA Adoption & Care Center is the culmination of many years of planning and fund raising to provide the dogs and cats in eastern Madera County the services needed to increase their adoptability and provide a safe, loving environment ready for their forever home.
Photograph courtesy of Alan T. Hendry, Architect.
Contacted in 2009, Mr. Hendry utilized his knowledge of animal care facilities to design a state-of-the-art facility that would embody the EMC SPCA’s mission statement and goals for the care of animals in the mountain communities just outside of Yosemite National Park.
The Madera County Board of Supervisors offered and transferred to the EMC SPCA a parcel along Highway 49 in Ahwahnee with sweeping panoramas of the high Sierra Nevada mountains. The site featured a large legacy oak tree and the challenge of being at the base of a substantial hill. Randy and Tyler Papike of R Papike Construction were chosen to build the project and worked within the Owner’s budget to create a beautiful, finished project.
Mr. Hendry’s design embodies the design program to provide a minimal stress environment for the animals, separating the dog and cat areas with the staff areas and the public areas providing the buffer between. A Community Room provides panoramic views of the Sierra’s and offers space for Volunteer training along with other community groups.
Windows positioned on the exterior kennel walls facing the Sierras provides ample light and incredible views much of the day, with glass block on the west face allowing afternoon light without overheating the space. The back-of-house staff area allows access to all areas of the Care Center.
The choice of CMU for the dog kennel wing allowed the durability needed as well as an opportunity to utilize different textures at the exterior. Multiple ‘Get Acquainted’ rooms provide a vestibule area for the dogs to prepare to meet their potential forever families outside. The area outside of the kennels and the Education Room creates a wonderfully enclosed area for potential owners to meet and interact with their potential future family members, with ample shade created by the legacy oak tree and durable artificial turf providing an attractive and environmentally friendly area.
Ample windows, skylights and solar tubes provide daylighting throughout shelter during the day and the skylight in the cat wing creates an inviting “Rotunda” focal point. From the Rotunda forever families can view both kittens and more mature cats in community settings and have separated ‘Get Acquainted’ rooms to enjoy individual interactions with their future family members. ‘Catio’s’ outside of the Cat Community rooms allow the cats to enjoy safe, outside enclosed areas along with various cat trees, bridges, and cubbies.
Durable roofing with Class A composite asphalt roofing and single-ply roof well roofing provides a water-resistant barrier to the harsh summers and winters encountered in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains. Combined with fiber cement siding and architectural stone veneer, the building blends into the mountain environment and provides the fire resistance required by the California Building and Fire Codes.
Architect
Alan T. Hendry, Architect
219 Copperleaf Lane, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
www.hendryarch.com
Structural Engineer
Brad Young & Associates
345 Pollasky Avenue, Clovis, CA 93612
Mechanical Engineer
Axiom Engineers, Inc.
22 Lower Ragsdale Drive, #A, Monterey, CA 93940
Electrical Engineer
Timothy D. Fickling, Consulting EE
P.O. Box 602, Oakhurst, CA 93644
Civil Engineer
Lore Engineering
620 Dewitt Avenue, #101, Clovis, CA 93612
General Contractor
R Papike Construction, Inc.
P.O. Box 2960, Oakhurst, CA 93644
Location: Ahwahnee, California
Date Bid: Jul 2017
Construction Period: Jul 2017 to Aug 2022
Site: 3.5 acres.
Total Square Feet: 9,156.
Building Sizes: First floor, 8,602; second floor, 554; total, 9,156 square feet.
Building Height: First floor, 11'; second floor, 8'; total, 28'3".
Number of Buildings: One.
Basic Construction Type: New/VBS.
Foundation: Slab-on-grade.
Exterior Walls: CMU, cement fiber.
Roof: Asphalt shingles, membrane.
Floors: Wood.
Interior Walls: Wood stud drywall.
Click here to view the full cost details for this project in the September/October 2023 issue of DCD