San Bernardino Animal Shelter
Creating a building program that meets the practical needs of the City while enriching the lives of the surrounding community and users.
Project Overview
Project Scope
48,700 Square-Foot Building Program + Proposal
Tools
Mural, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop + InDesign , Revit, Enscape, Excel
Role
UX Designer/ Architect Project Manager
Challenge
During my time at AA Design Studios we partnered with the firm, DLR Group, to develop a building program and proposal for the City of San Bernardino Animal Shelter. The City’s existing shelter no longer meets the current goals and mandate of the San Bernardino Animal Services. Therefore the City reached out to our design team to help them establish a building program that would define the requirements for a shelter to meet their existing needs and serve them well into the future. As the project manager for this design, I led the effort to understand the City’s needs through data analysis of their existing shelter and multiple workshops with various stakeholders to create a building program that the Animal Shelter could use for financing the project with the City.
The process I used to establish the final proposal had several parallels to how a UX Designer would approach the design of a website. The end goal was to create the best user experience for both people and pets through physical design as opposed to digital.
Solution
Analyze the shelter’s existing animal intake to establish a sufficient amount of square-footage for the future shelter
Establish a floor plan that meets the practical needs of the shelter staff and is welcoming and inviting to the public
Develop a design that reflects the goals and mission of San Bernardino Animal services and acts as a precedent for future public work throughout the City
Research
Secondary Research
Existing Shelter Analysis
I started my research by visiting San Bernardino’s existing shelter to understand what elements of the current design were working and where there were areas for improvement. During the site visit we also talked to several staff members to understand their roles and what they would require to successfully do their jobs in the new design. This would act as our basepoint for documenting the need for a new animal shelter in our proposal to the City.
Competitive Analysis
In addition to documenting the existing facility conditions, I also researched other competitors to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. This included researching floorplans and space adjacencies, evaluating different services offered and analyzing different approaches to animal housing. This research will help identify opportunities to implement into the new building design and recognize pain points that should be avoided. We then presented our findings in an “Animal Trends” presentation to San Bernardino staff for input and feedback.
User Interviews
Primary Research
Using the information gathered from the existing shelter and competitive analysis it was time to meet with different stakeholder groups to receive input on what elements they want to see prioritized and integrated into the design. My team flew out to San Bernardino where we hosted a two-day workshop. Over this time we met with key staff and held open public houses where community members could provide input on what they wanted to see implemented in the new design. Below is a summary of our findings in addition to some of the suggestions we received.
Public Meeting Comment Cards
Strategy
Data Analysis
Shelter Capacity
Because new construction can be very expensive it is important that we design the building to meet the needs required by the shelter today as well as into the future. One of the primary drivers in calculating the square-footage for animal shelters is to accurately determine how many animals they anticipate housing at a given time. In order to calculate this number I analyzed their animal intake and adoption rates since 2014. We were then able to take the identified trends and use them to predict the future housing needs. Due to the hard work of San Bernardino staff less animals are spending time in the shelter and more are getting adopted, so we were able to plan for less housing in the new shelter.
Brainstorm
Stakeholder Brainstorm
In addition to the user interviews I facilitated a workshop with shelter staff where I asked thought-provoking questions to staff members and documented their responses on a digital whiteboard I created using Mural. This allowed for staff to share concepts and ideas that the design team may not have considered. In addition, trends started to emerge such as; more storage, better workstations, spaces for staff to relax, that were then identified as items that should be prioritized in the design to ensure the new shelter was meeting the end-user needs.
Strategizing
Defining Goals
In analyzing the notes from the brainstorming session, goals for the new shelter started to emerge. By documenting the goals it became clear which solutions should be prioritized. Noting the goals from both the shelter and user perspective started to reveal which areas of the building could be adjacent to each other and which spaces need to remain separate. These goals would be utilized later on to ensure our design best met the requirements of the various stakeholders.
Building Program
Utilizing the information that was collected above it was time to create a building program. A program is a list of spaces with anticipated square-footages assigned to each space. This allowed the design team and stakeholders to review their space needs in a more straight-forward format before moving into developing floor plans. I worked through several iterations of the floorplan with feedback from shelter staff and the design team to ensure that all of the shelter needs were being addressed and the building was a realistic size. It was determined that the shelter would best function as a series of buildings laid out along a campus to take advantage of San Bernardino’s warm climate and maximize outdoor circulation and programming. Maximizing outdoor space would also have significant cost savings. Below is the program for the shelter medicine building.
Floor Plan Development
Building Adjacencies
Design
Once the building program was approved it was time to move into designing the floor plan. The first step was to layout the different spaces outlined in the building program and identify what spaces should be adjacent to others. Because the early stages of design are very fluid, we created physical representations of each program space using a laser cutter. We then worked through several design iterations of possible floor plans, using the pieces like a puzzle until we found a layout that best met the users’ various needs.
Concept Floor Plan
With the preliminary program adjacencies laid out it was time to move into the digital realm and draft the floor plans. Drawing the plan at scale revealed adjacencies that did not work as expected when laid out with the laser cut pieces. Therefore the design went through several iterations, each time receiving input from the shelter staff of elements that were working and areas for improvement.
Building Massing
As the floor plan became more evolved it was time to consider how the building would look in 3D. This included analyzing roof formations and window placement in addition to defining what materials would be used on the exterior. It was important that the design compliment the existing architecture of San Bernardino but also have a unique identity to encourage the public to engage and utilize the new campus. The design team also took into consideration sustainable practices such as building orientation, sun shading and long-lifespan materials. Similar to other rounds of design, we presented multiple iterations of massing and material palettes to the shelter staff for feedback and approval.
Proposal
Stakeholder Feedback + Final Design
Final Product
After multiple rounds of massaging the floorplan and exterior design our team landed on a building design that was ready to be incorporated into the final building proposal. The proposal summarized all the user-data and analysis we collected and clearly outlined the City’s need for a new shelter. The proposal also documented the design process and the user-feedback we received. This proposal was then shared with the City for financing. The images in the proposal have also been used in community meetings to grow awareness of the new shelter and begin fundraising efforts. Once the proposal is approved, our team will embark in another round of user-experience design and revise the design as needed based on stakeholder feedback and the approved budget. For now, the staff at San Bernardino Animal Shelter have expressed their excitement and confidence in the new design and are looking forward to having a facility that serves their current needs and will continue to support them well into the future.
Design Renderings
Reflection
Closing Thoughts
There are so many aspects to UX design which can be implemented in the digital or physical realm. The goal is always to create the best experience for the end-user. In the case of San Bernardino Animal Shelter there were several end-users ranging from the animals and staff that work there daily, to the community member who may just be driving past. Understanding each group’s unique needs through extensive research, user testing, and design iterations resulted in an end-product that provides a practical and impactful design for the City of San Bernardino. I look forward to seeing the project evolve and I am excited for the opportunity to implement my skillset as an architect to the digital world as a UX designer.