Animal Hospital of Hinesburg

Photography:  Carol Stenberg

Confronted with woefully inadequate space and an expanding practice in the village core, the partners decided to build a new facility, and purchased the only commercial lot left in the village, in an area subdivided in the '90's for commercial development. The program required all the components of a modern veterinary clinic, including separated entry and exit, waiting room, administrative offices, four exam rooms, treatment area, pharmacy, surgical suite, dog and cat kennel spaces, and an outdoor run space.

The rural location and the building's function of animal care conspired to direct the design toward a barn like form, and this idea led to using combinations of wood siding, heavy timber beams, and a variety of window sizes to reflect the interior functions. Constrained by a wet site, a basement space for storage or mechanical was not feasible, so second floor space within the roof form accommodates mechanical space and long term storage. The traditional roof ventilator became the furnace exhausts, and gable louvers provide fresh air and roof ventilation exhaust.