Citizens for Animal Protection, Houston, Texas

With its exceptional location on the very busy I-10 access road in western Houston, the new Citizens for Animal Protection facility will triple the organization's capacity and dramatically increase its visibility. The building will serve as a billboard for the facility, with a five-story dog and only slightly smaller cat serving both as landmarks along the twelve lanes of traffic that pass, and as wayfinding devices for the separate feline and canine entrances.

Essentially two wings joined by a common lobby, the U-shaped plan separates canine and feline areas to reduce animal stress and improve health. The south-facing courtyard houses the Pet Kingdom Park, which provides the facility's enclosed outdoor play areas. The building reduces its footprint by placing all administrative functions on the second floor, allowing two-thirds of the ground floor to be used for front stage, public areas and limiting back stage areas to one third of the valuable real estate that fronts the access road.

The sloping roofs that create the building's unique silhouette also serve as massive rainwater collection systems, which combine with other sustainable features to make the facility LEED certifiable.