Texas pet shelter uses tubular daylighting devices to enhance adoptions

The new 13,245-sf Grapevine (Texas) Animal Services Shelter and Adoption Center stands as a vital hub for the local community. Committed to promoting pet adoptions and ensuring the welfare of animals, the shelter plays a pivotal role in adoptions, humane law enforcement, and wildlife concerns.

The shelter's mission centers on fostering a nurturing environment conducive to successful pet adoptions, and the staff had specific ideas about how the new center should look and function. The challenge for Quorum Architects in designing the new facility was to prioritize the health and comfort of the animals, uplift staff morale, and create an inviting atmosphere for visitors – all to encourage potential adopters to feel comfortable and engage with the animals, facilitating the adoption process.

Quorum Architects designed the facility to optimize not only its welcoming exterior presentation, but also its interior functionality, introducing specialized areas such as indoor cat condos, play yards for dogs, and a get-to-know courtyard where potential pet owners can bond with their future companions. A heated and ventilated drive-thru sally port ensures secure and comfortable animal delivery and transfer. 

Inside, dedicated zones were established for offices, laundry, medical services, recovery areas, grooming spaces, and isolation/quarantine areas – all with the goald of catering to the diverse needs of the animals under care and the shelter's operational efficiency.

DAYLIGHTING FOR ANIMAL AND STAFF WELL-BEING

 Recognizing the pivotal role of daylight in promoting animal and staff well-being, Grapevine Animal Services pursued a design strategy centered on infusing its interior spaces with abundant natural light. To do so, Quorum Architects collaborated with NTX Building Products, the local Solatube International distributor, to integrate nine units of SolaMaster 750 DS into the facility.

Solatube Tubular Daylighting Devices harvest daylight at the rooftop, transfer it down a highly reflective tube, and distribute it evenly into an interior space through a diffuser at the ceiling — on both sunny and cloudy days — without adding heat or cold into the interior space.

Unlike traditional skylights, Solatube TDDs are designed to be reconfigurable over time and to reduce glare and inconsistent light patterns while screening UV and infrared wavelengths that can fade finishes and overheat interiors.

Natural light plays a vital role both in enhancing the overall well-being of shelter animals and in creating a more favorable environment for successful adoptions. (See Heemstra, E.M. [2013], “Shedding a light on animal shelters: the use of light and its effect on the adoption process,” University of Twente.)

Daylight, when used as an interior source of lighting, has been shown to reinforce circadian rhythms, benefiting both the animals and the staff. It also boosts animals' mood by increasing serotonin levels thus reducing stress and anxiety commonly observed in shelter animals.

Reducing stress levels is pivotal as it enables animals to showcase their genuine personalities and engage more effectively with prospective adopters. Natural daylight has an inherent ability to enhance an animal's appeal by highlighting the coat's sheen, the sparkle in their eyes and an overall vibrant and healthy appearance.

The culmination of these benefits, coupled with the creation of a welcoming ambiance and a bright, inviting atmosphere, encourages potential adopters to engage more extensively with the animals, ultimately resulting in higher adoption rates.

SHELTER MANAGER CITES POSITIVE IMPACT OF DAYLIGHTING

"Prioritizing natural daylight with Solatube Tubular Daylighting Devices has significantly enhanced our new shelter and adoption center,” said Kristina Valentine, CAWA, Animal Services Manager, Grapevine Animal Services Shelter and Adoption Center. “The abundance of natural light has positively impacted our environment, reducing stress, improving moods, and fostering a healthier atmosphere for all. It's been transformative for our animals, staff and visitors alike."