Cambridge Cat Clinic by Gort Scott

Hackney studio Gort Scott subtly added the outline of a cat’s ears to the facade of this feline veterinary clinic outside Cambridge (+ slideshow).

cat clinic by gort scott

The architects wanted to create references to cats in the design, but agreed with the client that these details would be subtle. “After years of designing with human situations in mind, it was quite interesting also designing with cats in mind,” Jay Gort told Dezeen.

cat clinic by gort scott

The building occupies a former joinery shed in the village of Fulbourn. Gort Scott covered the original facade with cedar slats and picked out the shape of the cat’s ears using wider sections.

cat clinic by gort scott

“The screen was considered the most elegant and cost effective way of giving the building a more welcoming, joyful appearance in a context of fairly run-down sheds,” said Gort.

cat clinic by gort scott

The building’s interior is reorganised, creating a large reception and waiting area at the front of the clinic. The reception desk is built from plywood and features ornate feet shaped like cat’s paws.

cat clinic by gort scott

Beyond the reception are a series of consulting rooms, an operating theatre and a diagnostic laboratory, plus a large preparation room lit from above by skylights.

cat clinic by gort scott

Interior walls are painted in calming shades of turquoise, with occasional details picked out in yellow.

cat clinic by gort scott

Gort Scott is led by architects Jay Gort and Fiona Scott, whose past projects include a rugged stone house on the Isle of Man. Jay Gort also spoke at Dezeen’s Designed in Hackney Day last year, where he argued that the beleaguered British high street is actually a thriving location of “collision and conflict”.

cat clinic by gort scott

Another veterinary clinic completed recently is a combined surgery and home in Japan.

cat clinic by gort scott

Photography is by Angus Leadley Brown.

cat clinic by gort scott

Here’s some more information from Gort Scott:


Cambridge Cat Clinic

The site for this new, cat-specialist veterinary practice was originally a joinery workshop, opposite an open field at the edge of Cambridge. Our client was a veterinarian establishing a new business.

cat clinic by gort scott

Gort Scott obtained planning permission for change of use and remodelling of the existing building to also include a new cedar wood screen on the front elevation, with a suggestion of cats ears. Beyond this screen is a generous reception and waiting area with specially-designed furniture, and views back to the open field.

cat clinic by gort scott

The main working area for the medical staff is a large multi-functioning ‘prep room’, which is top-lit by two generous skylights.

cat clinic by gort scott

The scheme’s design includes many aspects that respond to the client’s considered approach to the welfare of her animal patients and their owners.

The building serves both as a general practice specialising in feline medicine, and also as a surgery, with a full operating theatre, lab and diagnostic area.

cat clinic by gort scott

Above: site plan – click for larger image

Name of project: Cambridge Cat Clinic
Date of completion: 01/ 06/ 2012
Total contract value; £156,000

Credits list
Client: Cambridge Cat Clinic
Start on site date: 05/11/2011
Gross internal floor area: 224m2

cat clinic by gort scott

Above: floor plan – click for larger image

Form of contract and/or procurement : JCT Minor Works contract
Structural engineer: Charles Tallack Engineering consultancy
Planning supervisor: AFP Construction consultants
Total cost : £156,000
Main contractor: Bob Black Construction Ltd.

Selected subcontractors and suppliers:
Windows: Velfac
Flooring: Forbo
Internal partitions: Rodecca
Joinery: Precision Joinery

cat clinic by gort scott

Above: front elevation – click for larger image

The post Cambridge Cat Clinic
by Gort Scott
appeared first on Dezeen.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Japanese architects Eureka and Atelier Chocolate have completed a vet’s surgery and apartment behind a metal mesh cage in Kanagawa.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

The two-storey Veterinarian N House has a square-shaped plan and is angled away from the metal screen to create four triangular courtyards in the gaps between.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

One of these courtyards accommodates the entrance to the ground-floor clinic, while the second is the entrance to the apartment above and the other two provide a service area and animal garden.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Oriented strand board lines the interior walls of the building, which has a timber-framed structure.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

In the apartment upstairs, a living room, bedroom, guest room and balcony surround a cluster of utilities rooms that include a kitchen.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

This is the first animal hospital we’ve ever featured on Dezeen, but you can see more stories about animals here, including chicken homes, bird cages and fish bowls.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Photography is by Ookura Hideki.

Here’s a little more text from Eureka:


Veterinarian N House
Designed by Eureka + atelier CHOCOLATE

A two story building of an animal hospital and the veterinarian’s house.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

We created several gardens around the building – garden for animals, backyard, garden for the dweller.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Since those gardens are narrow, we rotated the building and created trapezoidal gardens so that those gardens could be wider space.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

The top/bottom edge of the metal screen at the site border changes in response to the surroundings and trims the view toward the outside of the site.

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

Ground floor plan

Veterinarian N House by Eureka and Atelier Chocolate

First floor plan