Pet’s ER, an established emergency care veterinarian clinic, sought through Gillis Gilkerson contractors the design/build delivery of a 4,500 SF single-story facility in Salisbury, Maryland. The selected site was an undeveloped parcel within a larger business park development that Davis, Bowen and Friedel, Inc. (DBF), planned and engineered previously.

Located within eyeshot of highly traveled U.S. Business Route 50, the facility was designed to be visible and indictive of the emergency services that are available within. Above the lobby, the ceiling and roof height were raised to draw further attention to the entrance and provide ample room for the building’s signage. The roofs, red standing seam metal, serve as an indication of the clinic’s focus on emergency care, and give the facility an agrarian look. The building overall is welcoming and inviting; and, hopefully, comfortable in an otherwise tension-filled visit for many of the clinic’s clients.

Aside from a spacious waiting area for animals and people alike, the facility is equipped with two surgery and corresponding post-surgery rooms, three exam rooms; a comprehensive treatment area; lab and x-ray room. In addition, a special cat treatment space and sick animal ward are set aside, as well as offices and other staff facilities. As expected, treatment area materials are durable and easily cleanable.

DBF provided architecture and structural engineering services directly to the contractor; all working together with the lead veterinarian and owner of the clinic to provide a customized facility for the care of small animals.