Positioned across the street from the original building, the new Mountain Humane animal welfare campus visually represents the organization’s 50-year progression beyond the “dog pound” persona and into a hub of community pet support. Gone are the days of one-service-wonder animal shelters as a new, expansive vision of contemporary animal sheltering paves the way for a new, multi-pronged approach. With the addition of programming, services, and support for both pets and owners, Mountain Humane has helped usher in a new standard for animal rescue facilities.

To optimize Mountain Humane’s ability to keep animals off the streets of Blaine County, Idaho, AE Design, Animal Arts, and Damian Farrell Design Group teamed up to breathe life into the new 30,000-square-foot care center. But innovative, industry-leading services require state-of-the-art lighting, power, and technology to help carry them out.

The facility is equipped with modern, spacious environments for animals, including gallery-style adoption areas, dedicated humane education and training spaces, an advanced veterinary clinic offering in-house care and select public services, and a cat café. It incorporates advanced environmental systems, such as photovoltaic panels, ground-source heat pumps, radiant heating, and high-efficiency mechanical systems, significantly minimizing energy and resource consumption compared to conventional animal shelters.

Mountain Humane utilizes this new facility as a strategic tool for outreach, education, and community support. This expansion allows the organization to transfer in 60 percent of its animals from outside the local area, ultimately contributing to increased lifesaving efforts. Since the doors have opened, adoptions have risen by a staggering 50 percent.

Client: Animal Arts
Electrical Engineering, Lighting Design, Animal Care