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The KOMA team worked with Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota (AERC) to design the largest privately-owned specialty center in the Midwest.

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Expanding in stages

KOMA has a long-standing relationship with AERC and has helped them expand their practice multiple times to support their rapid growth.

2010 – The Blue Building
The original clinic resided in a relatively small strip-mall space and included only one type of specialty service. Demand for veterinary care grew and the space was eventually outgrown. As a result, a new 11,000 square foot facility was built, now referred to as the “Blue Building.”

2017 – The Blue Building Expansion
KOMA worked with AERC to design a 2-story expansion to the original building, resulting in 25,550 square feet and accommodating 10 specialty departments. Even with the larger facility, the AERC clientele continued to request more and more services and space quickly became an issue again. It became apparent AERC would need to build a brand new specialty center.

2020-2023 – The Red Building
In 2019, AERC began planning for a second Oakdale facility to support their business growth. After evaluating several nearby locations, they chose one right across the street, allowing for the convenience of having both facilities within walking distance. The design of AERC’s newest building includes 46,500 square feet dedicated to emergency veterinary care and a wide range of specialty medical services. To clearly differentiate the new facility from the existing blue clinic (urgent care), KOMA utilized red signage and color tones on the exterior to signify that this location functions as an emergency hospital.

Designing for a variety of specialty services

Design for the new AERC emergency and specialty center needed to address the flow and function of eleven specialty care departments. Each department needed to operate as its own self-contained unit, but also integrate with one another as needed.

The AERC Hospital design included:

The integrative building layout required:

• A well-designed flow that could accommodate staff, pets, and their owners
• Strategic planning to put services that often collaborate near one another
• Physical space for unique diagnostic tools and therapeutic procedures, including advanced imaging

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A focus on comfortable care

Having a sick or injured pet is stressful. Throughout the project, the AERC and KOMA team made thoughtful architectural and design choices to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for animals and humans alike.

Using AERC’s “trauma informed care” values, the design team paid special attention to:

• Creating a clean, professional clinic aesthetic
• Using calming colors, warm wood tones, and subtle large format floor tile for visual flow and to reduce distraction
• Acoustical treatments and spatial separation for sound comfort
• Comfort rooms for clients who may be dealing with the loss of a pet
• Staff wellness rooms and in-house mental health support

The AERC staff members are able to deliver emergency services in a fast-paced environment, but also find areas of solace where they can recharge. Pet owners appreciate the quiet comfort rooms and spacious waiting areas. Blending health care and support results in optimal outcomes.

Leading the way in veterinary care

After more than 10 years of partnership, AERC and KOMA have succeeded in developing an advanced medical facility that is at the forefront of veterinary emergency and specialty medicine.

Other KOMA Veterinary Clinic Projects:

The KOMA team has broad experience in education-related architecture and has led various remodeling and development projects at schools across the Twin Cities.

When designing a learning environment, the KOMA team has identified two critical factors: (1) creating spaces that support current education models and (2) maximizing safety and security.

1. Creating spaces that support current education models

New methods of teaching and learning have changed the way school buildings are designed. Traditional “classrooms” have evolved into “learning spaces” that promote engagement, creativity, and collaboration. As a result, it is critical to design flexible environments that can support varied learning styles.

KOMA considerations:

When working on a school building project, KOMA architects focus on creating multi-purpose, equitable environments that can be used interchangeably across school subject matters.

Foldable walls, flexible seating, and indoor-outdoor spaces give teachers and students the ability to move around and reconfigure their environments for maximized learning. A focus on student wellness also means incorporating natural light, creating comfortable spaces, and designing with the unique needs of the school community in mind.

Planning for a robust technology infrastructure is also an essential component of school building design in order to support operational and instructional work. Learning environments must be designed to undergird current technology but also be able to adapt to new technology that is constantly emerging.

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2. Maximizing safety and security

Protecting the safety and welfare of students and teachers is top-of-mind for everyone involved in an education-related architectural project.

KOMA considerations:

One major component that KOMA architects analyze when working to make school buildings safer is to design a secure, single-point-of-entry for visitors. This may include the combination of a vestibule, main office space, technology, and emergency response systems. Conversely, multiple points of egress are incorporated for safe exit from the building.

Nested throughout the school building layout are layers of additional security. These perimeters help to shape the space so it is secure but also inviting.

Increased weather-related events have brought about a new code requirement for storm shelters to be included in school buildings in Minnesota. These safe spaces need to be designed to structurally withstand a tornado for up to two hours, as well as provide restroom facilities, emergency power, and maintain air quality.

Striking the right balance

The biggest challenge? Dynamic learning environments that are collaborative and flexible are often in contrast to traditional design methods of safety and security. KOMA architects are constantly innovating to try to achieve both and help students and teachers thrive.

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KOMA Education Portfolio: