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
| Jun 20, 2014
Sterling Bay pulled on board for Chicago Old Main Post Office project
Sterling Bay Cos. and Bill Davies' International Property Developers North America partner up for a $500 million restoration of Chicago's Old Main Post Office
| Jun 18, 2014
Design tips for Alzheimer care facilities
A new white paper from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Perkins Eastman details best design practices for residential care settings for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace
Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014
Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data
Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible.
| Jun 4, 2014
Emerging trends in healthcare development: neighborhood care, mixed-use models on the rise
In urban and even suburban markets, real estate is about the "live, work, play," with close proximity to mass transit and other amenities, like retail stores. Healthcare organizations are following suit.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
