In late July, Animal Emergency & Referral Center (AERC) in Minnesota held a grand reopening of its facility in Oakdale, Minn., which underwent a $4.5 million, 17,000-sf expansion that included the installation of medical equipment that is equal to, and sometimes better than, equipment found in medical centers that treat human patients.
The clinic, which was constructed in 2009, over the past several years has increased its pet care specialty services to include internal medicine, surgery, rehabilitation, cardiology, dentistry and oral surgery, dermatology, radiology, and neurology.
As it business grew (it now has 10 specialties), AERC also became better known as a referral service for other clinics.
In 2015, “we looked at how we could max out the Oakdale site,” says Stephen Iaria, AIA, Managing Principal|Architecture for Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates in Grove Heights, Minn., which has worked with AERC since the Center started operating out of a strip mall in 2000. (AERC also has a clinic in St. Paul, Minn.)
AERC owned some contiguous land, and the city of Oakdale “was okay” about the Center using it for expansion, says Iaria. The new space provides more room for staff and patients, as well as for specialized medical equipment.
Because it has two operating tables, one of the three surgery suites in the expanded Oakdale facility needed to have better air quality and circulation than are required in an operating room for humans. Image: Adam Kennedy Photography
“It was designed as if it would be for human medicine,” says Iaria. This includes three surgery suites, one of which exceeds human requirements for air quality and circulation because it has two operating tables. That suite also required specialized lighting.
AERC selected MRI and CT scan equipment from the human medical field for their extra power and better image quality. The MRI machine weighs approximately 3,000 pounds and had to be lifted into place via crane. Because of the MRI’s magnetic pull, no surrounding components could contain metal. The CT machine required lead shielding due to its radiation emission.
“There is a real need for these specialists, and having a clinic that can function and house specialty equipment and adapt to the changing medical needs is such a large piece of that,” says Dr. Karen Reynhout, DVM, AERC’s Hospital Director.
A 3,000-pound MRI machine that was installed during the clinic's renovation and expansion provides the same image quality and power as machines used for humans. Image: Adam Kennedy Photography
In addition to the expansion, AERC had some minor work done to its existing building, including the conversion of one space to a multipurpose room. The renovation team also installed an elevator into a pit that had been designed a decade ago. And a smaller surgery suite was converted into an ultrasound room.
The second floor of the Oakdale clinic is now primarily office and boardroom space.
The second floor of the clinic is now used mostly for offices and meeting rooms. Image: Adam Kennedy Photography
Krech, O’Brien was the architect, structural engineer, and interior designer on this project. The renovation team included Emanuelson-Podas (MEP), DJ Kranz (GC), and The Center for Diagnostic Imaging (specialty equipment vendor).
During the renovation, Iaria says his firm “got deep into” how to detail rooms in order to have “an ultra clean environment.”
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 19, 2015
5 brand-building strategies in the outpatient environment
No longer coasting off of reputation, leading organizations are using new ambulatory care centers to re-brand for the future of healthcare, writes CannonDesign's Jocelyn Stroupe.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 18, 2015
Transforming the patient-clinician experience in retail healthcare: 5 'flips' to consider
Flip the Clinic is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation project invented to transform the patient-clinician experience. In their language, “flips” are actionable ideas for change, writes Gensler's Tama Duffy Day.
Giants 400 | Aug 6, 2015
GIANTS 300 REPORT: Top 75 Healthcare Construction Firms
Turner, McCarthy, and Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2015 ranking of the largest healthcare contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 6, 2015
GIANTS 300 REPORT: Top 80 Healthcare Engineering Firms
AECOM, Jacobs, and Burns & McDonnell top Building Design+Construction's 2015 ranking of the largest healthcare engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 6, 2015
GIANTS 300 REPORT: Top 115 Healthcare Architecture Firms
HDR, Stantec, and Perkins+Will top Building Design+Construction's 2015 ranking of the largest healthcare architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 6, 2015
HEALTHCARE AEC GIANTS: Hospital and medical office construction facing a slow but steady recovery
Construction of hospitals and medical offices is expected to shake off its lethargy in 2015 and recover modestly over the next several years, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Contractors | Jul 29, 2015
Consensus Construction Forecast: Double-digit growth expected for commercial sector in 2015, 2016
Despite the adverse weather conditions that curtailed design and construction activity in the first quarter of the year, the overall construction market has performed extremely well to date, according to AIA's latest Consensus Construction Forecast.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 23, 2015
David Adjaye unveils design for pediatric cancer treatment center in Rwanda
The metallic, geometric façade is based on the region’s traditional Imigongo art.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 22, 2015
Best of healthcare design: 8 projects win AIA National Healthcare Design Awards
Montalba Architects' prototype mobile dental unit and Westlake Reed Leskosky's modern addition to the Cleveland Clinic Brunswick Family Health Center highlight the winning projects.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 8, 2015
From Subway to Walgreens, healthcare campuses embrace retail chains in the name of patient convenience
Most retail in healthcare discussions today are focused on integrating ambulatory care into traditional retail settings. Another trend that is not as well noted is the migration of retailers onto acute care campuses, writes CBRE Healthcare's Craig Beam.