Architects zero in on plans for UF’s new small animal hospital

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine's new Veterinary Research and Education Center will not only contain additional space for a state-of-the-art small animal hospital with all of the "bells and whistles" –- it also will represent a new face for the south end of the University of Florida campus.

Representatives from FWAJDB/Zeidler Partnership, which was awarded the architectural contract to design the $58 million, 90,000 - square - foot facility in August, presented several "town hall" meetings to CVM faculty, staff and students Nov. 26.

The design team's initial concept involves opening up the front of the new building so people can see into it, which means "lots of glass and natural daylight," said spokesman Roy Abernathy, a principal in the FWAJDB firm. "This is envisioned as a building that is kind of inside-out to some extent; that is, the outside will reflect what is going on inside."

A sustainable, green building design will be used along with a learning-centered approach that includes having rounds rooms associated with every hospital service. That room would enable students in whatever clinical rotation they are on to be more centralized instead of on the service perimeter, architects said.

"It's like turning the learning process inside out," Abernathy said. "You call it a rounds room because that is the primary identified function, but often you have a procedure that happens for 15 minutes. When you're in, say, dermatology and that procedure needs to be done immediately, any students who would want to observe it can do so.

"In the focus group we did with students, they said one of the hardest things they currently face is having to track someone down to ask a question. The rounds room concept puts everyone in that service in the same learning area. Today that happens in the hallway," he added.

The existing hospital will continue to house dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, zoo medicine, alternative/holistic medicine and a blood donor ward. A physical therapy service will also be added, while pharmacy and radiology will expand.

Among the exciting new features of the new hospital will be a linear accelerator, a new emergency and critical care clinic, a physical therapy area and expanded capacity and capability for chemotherapy, all of which will be located on the first floor.

The second floor will house surgery, including both a sterile quarter and an animal quarter outside with anesthesia, endoscopy, and a cardiac catheterization laboratory close by. The second floor also will house the CT unit in the future.

The third floor will serve primarily as office space but will also house a conference room/meeting place area capable of seating 120 people.

"This building will become the public face of academic veterinary medicine in Florida," Abernathy said. "If you are going to grow to where you're seeing 30,000 clients a year, this will be where that interaction happens.

"We are going to be doing a lot to improve the client experience and making lots of considerations for animal and human comfort - everything from the landscaping to the hardscaping," he added. Among other things, that means animal-friendly tile floors that pets won't slip on and that will be easy to clean.

The light, bright and open characteristics of the new facility should create both a welcoming and a healing-friendly environment.

"A lot of research has been done as to how daylight helps improve the healing cycle in animals as well as the health and comfort of the people who work in the hospital," Abernathy said. "That's why we want to bring a lot of natural light into the building."

Abemathy said his group has worked on several academic veterinary hospitals throughout the country and partnered with Zeidler to offer "a broader and more team-oriented approach" to the project.

"We are the veterinary experts," he said, while Zeidler, which is based in West Palm Beach, offers an understanding of the UF campus environment, local code and transportation issues.

"Academic veterinary hospitals are really unique and have a contribution that a lot of people don't understand, to both human and animal health," Abernathy said.

To this point, Abernathy and other members of the design team have met with representatives from all of the Veterinary Medical Center services as well as key administrators. Three teams, including the architects, the contractors and the engineers, will work together to complete the project and are hoping for an 18-month turnaround.

The group hopes to finalize design plans by early 2008.