Home Sweet Home

Oct 31, 2007

Welcome to the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center, which opened this past September after four years of extensive planning and fundraising. Architect Jeff Case and his team at Holabird & Root designed a masterpiece, and interior designer Steve Kadlec of Kadlec Designs pulled together all the right finishing touches. Both design teams captured the heart of PAWS in the building that will unite thousands of homeless pets and their new families each year. Walking through the door, visitors are fl ooded with warmth of natural light, an expansive thirty-foot high ceiling spanned by wood trusses, and accents of eco-friendly wheat board and stainless steel and glass. Natural farm meets contemporary chic in this home for homeless pets.

This new Adoption Center ushers in a new era of animal sheltering in Chicago. The days of stainless steel bars on small cages are a distant memory as you walk through the future of animal welfare. This new No Kill sheltering philosophy provides homeless pets with the dignity they deserve: comfortable surroundings, soft beds, natural light, human interaction, fellow pet companionship (if desired), daily exercise, and a 7-ton HVAC unit that provides 100% fresh air fl ow and 15 air exchanges each hour, eliminating disease transmission from one suite to another.

But the design is not only for the pets. People often steer clear of animal shelters to avoid the haunting images of sad faces behind bars