Pub. 2 2014 Directory

26 THE MONTANA ARCHITECT | 2014 | www.aia-mt.org A lpine Animal Clinic is a state of the art veterinarian clinic that has redefined the standard of small animal care in Montana and significantly enhanced one of Helena’s major intersections. The owner’s goals included investing in her hometown and establishing her independent, cutting-edge veterinarian practice in a bold fashion. Her vision further included providing an efficient, comforting and healthy environment for employees, clients and patients. Interior spaces filled with natural light coupled with efficient work flow compliment the atmosphere of the owner’s “nothing to hide” attitude relating to all animal care processes. Three primary goals drove the project program: Create a clinic that is fresh, open, welcoming, upscale, and provides exceptional care. Secondly, create a building that would be cost-effective to own, operate and maintain. Finally, create a new standard for veterinary care in the Helena area. The site is located on a major interstate highway interchange which serves as one of the primary entrances to Helena. The site’s excellent exposure was negatively impacted by the deteriorated physical state of an existing abandoned gas station, complete with boarded windows. An early decision to retain the original structure informed the shapes and volumes of the new construction. Taking cues from the original roof lines created a fully integrated façade with seamless connections between the original building and the new structure. In addition to re-using the distressed original structure, the project included coordination with the City Engineering and Building Department on site drainage, noise from pet play yards and control of pet hair entering the sanitary sewer system. Additional coordination with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality was required for the site, relating to the previous removal of underground fuel tanks and the remaining monitoring wells. Based on the programmatic needs and work flow, the original structure was retained at the core with newly constructed surrounding spaces. Client services were designed to surround the public spaces, creating independent circulation paths serving clients and staff. The entrance, check-in, waiting, exam and exit were designed to accommodate clients bringing their pet/ patients to the clinic and to reduce the potential for unwelcome pet interaction. Project Owner’s: Dr. Heidi Wampler, DVM Project Location: Helena, MT Principal Architect: Susan Dunbar Bjerke, AIA Firm: Bjerke Architects, P.L.L.C 2905 N. Montana Avenue Helena, MT 59601 Phone: (406) 443-5801 Website: www.bjerkearchitects.com Alpine Animal Clinic Citation Award Photography by John Reddy