San Diego Humane Society

Project Strategy

The San Diego Humane Society is an open-admission animal shelter. Their lifesaving safety net has helped San Diego become the largest city in the U.S. to keep healthy and treatable shelter animals from being euthanized. They are a private, independent, nonprofit organization.

With campuses throughout San Diego County, they can care for more than 40,000 animals annually. Howard’s Rug Company was awarded the chance to work with the Humane Society on their new state-of-the-art Adoptions Building at their main San Diego campus.

The goal of the project was to improve and enhance the animal habitats as well as the overall adoption experience. The project was a significant undertaking that transformed the existing space, allowing for additional indoor/outdoor areas for cats, increased natural light in the animal habitats, better housing for small pets, more dog habitats with drainage that will allow for easier animal care routine, additional yards for exercise and new technology that will set a new standard in animal shelter design.

This project was unique and challenging from its inception. COAR Design Group designed a space that had to be durable, resistant to human and animal traffic, and withstand constant cleaning and sanitizing in the animal habitat areas. The existing facility was in a building with an aging, uneven slab which would require a significant amount of prep work to get the flooring to the desired level of finish. We engaged one of our top-performing installation teams, managed by Mark Kelley from MK Floors.

The first phase was in the Dog Kennel area. The desired look was polished concrete with a consistent aggregate look throughout the area. The concrete was ground and polished with a urethane finish. Each Kennel required detailed handwork to match the desired finish on the concrete as specified by the architect. Custom metal trim on the base of the wall meant grinding by hand while working up against the finished materials.

The second phase was the Atrium area. This is the heart and soul of the adoption center and had a very specific design, which consisted of custom-colored ‘rainbow’ arcs on the floor. We used the Mapei Ultratop Loft micro-topping to achieve the desired color and finish. Each colored arc was custom-created over a 10-month mock-up period. The colors were meticulously mixed and modified while adjusting the stain-to-water ratio, sheen variances, and color saturation, which resulted in 15 unique mockups to review before the final colors were approved. The architect had initially presented Pantone colors and paint chips as a baseline for the coloring process.

Some specific challenges in this area were achieving a smooth transition between the colors and into the adjacent areas. The existing slab was at varying heights, doors were not level, and the section of the building between the kennels and the atrium was offset by nearly an inch. The installation team had to grind, bush, and chip the existing concrete to ameliorate the height difference. Each color arc was poured and sealed one at a time and required about a 10-day process to prep, pour, and cure resulting in a 6-week installation duration.

The Cat Aquarium was another highlight. This room also utilized the Mapei Ultratop Loft system in a custom color to mimic the ocean. The room was originally intended to have wood platforms with sheet vinyl transitioning to the colored concrete on the floor. However, getting the vinyl to mold and transition to the wood was not possible. Our installation team custom-formed the platforms with the Mapei cement and applied, by hand, the color to match the oceanic floors.
In addition to the installation and application challenges, we also faced a tight schedule in an occupied building. The crews worked nights, weekends, and holidays to meet the installation deadlines.

While this project faced numerous challenges it also allowed us to highlight the level of creativity, attention to detail, and willingness to work above and beyond to achieve the design intent and vision for the space. We are very proud of the work we accomplished and throughout this process have created long-lasting relationships with Johnson & Jennings General Contracting, COAR Design Group, and the San Diego Humane Society.

Unique Installation Challenge Strategy

The San Diego Humane Society is an open-admission animal shelter. Their lifesaving safety net has helped San Diego become the largest city in the U.S. to keep healthy and treatable shelter animals from being euthanized. They are a private, independent, nonprofit organization.

With campuses throughout San Diego County, they can care for more than 40,000 animals annually. Howard’s Rug Company was awarded the chance to work with the Humane Society on their new state-of-the-art Adoptions Building at their main San Diego campus.

The goal of the project was to improve and enhance the animal habitats as well as the overall adoption experience. The project was a significant undertaking that transformed the existing space, allowing for additional indoor/outdoor areas for cats, increased natural light in the animal habitats, better housing for small pets, more dog habitats with drainage that will allow for easier animal care routine, additional yards for exercise and new technology that will set a new standard in animal shelter design.

This project was unique and challenging from its inception. COAR Design Group designed a space that had to be durable, resistant to human and animal traffic and withstand constant cleaning and sanitizing in the animal habitat areas. The existing facility was in a building with an aging, uneven slab which would require a significant amount of prep work to get the flooring to the desired level of finish. We engaged one of our top-performing installation teams, managed by Mark Kelley from MK Floors.

The first phase was in the Dog Kennel area. The desired look was polished concrete with a consistent aggregate look throughout the area. The concrete was ground and polished with a urethane finish. Each Kennel required detailed handwork to match the desired finish on the concrete as specified by the architect. Custom metal trim on the base of the wall meant grinding by hand while working up against the finished materials.

The second phase was the Atrium area. This is the heart and soul of the adoption center and had a very specific design, which consisted of custom-colored ‘rainbow’ arcs on the floor. We used the Mapei Ultratop Loft micro-topping to achieve the desired color and finish. Each colored arc was custom-created over a 10-month mock-up period. The colors were meticulously mixed and modified while adjusting the stain-to-water ratio, sheen variances, and color saturation, which resulted in 15 unique mockups to review before the final colors were approved. The architect had initially presented Pantone colors and paint chips as a baseline for the coloring process.

Some specific challenges in this area were achieving a smooth transition between the colors and into the adjacent areas. The existing slab was at varying heights, doors were not level, and the section of the building between the kennels and the atrium was offset by nearly an inch. The installation team had to grind, bush, and chip the existing concrete to ameliorate the height difference. Each color arc was poured and sealed one at a time and required about a 10-day process to prep, pour and cure resulting in a 6-week installation duration.

The Cat Aquarium was another highlight. This room also utilized the Mapei Ultratop Loft system in a custom color to mimic the ocean. The room was originally intended to have wood platforms with sheet vinyl transitioning to the colored concrete on the floor. However, getting the vinyl to mold and transition to the wood was not possible. Our installation team custom-formed the platforms with the Mapei cement and applied, by hand, the color to match the oceanic floors.

In addition to the installation and application challenges, we also faced a tight schedule in an occupied building. The crews worked nights, weekends, and holidays to meet the installation deadlines.

While this project faced numerous challenges it also allowed us to highlight the level of creativity, attention to detail, and willingness to work above and beyond to achieve the design intent and vision for the space. We are very proud of the work we accomplished and throughout this process have created long-lasting relationships with Johnson & Jennings General Contracting, COAR Design Group, and the San Diego Humane Society.