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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Rania Alomar Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Pet Resource Center Animal Care Building in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

The international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Rania Alomar for architecture, building and structure design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 19, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Pet Resource Center Animal Care Building by Rania Alomar, designed for Ra-Da. The award was conferred within the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

About Pet Resource Center Animal Care Building

The Pet Resource Center is a public animal care building in Bentonville, Arkansas. The center supports the adoption and fostering of pets. Kennels and cages are intentionally omitted. The design responds to the local rural landscape and to the shapes of nearby barn buildings. The roof slopes peak, merge and extend to shelter the program. A community wing and a medical wing are joined by an internal bridge that shades the event spaces below and provides a work area for volunteers. The building has 20,000 square feet of interior space and the same area outdoors on a six acre site.

Award Record

Rania Alomar is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Pet Resource Center Animal Care Building
Function
Animal Care Building
Category
Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture
Colors
Midnight Blue, Black, Dim Gray, Dark Slate Gray and Gray
Images
5
Client
Ra-Da

The Recognition

Laureate
Rania Alomar
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2023 - 2024
Design ID
#153261

Credits

Image Credits
Photographer: Ralf Strathmann

Design Details

Unique Properties
As the first building of its kind, the Pet Resource Center is a revolution in the animal care industry. With kennels and cages intentionally omitted, Its function is similar in many ways to an animal shelter, but its fundamental philosophy is the polar opposite.
Inspiration
One of the first questions the client asked us during the interview process was ‘How are you going to make this fit into the local vernacular?’. It was clear that needed to be an important part of our design approach. Even though Bentonville is a hub of industry, it still has a predominantly rural landscape. Old barn buildings are scattered throughout standing alone on wide fields between clusters of grazing cows.
Research
It was clear to us and important for the client that the new facility related to its surroundings. To respond to this we studied the local vernacular and analyzed the shapes and geometries of local barn buildings. This was developed into a modern architecture that could support all the functions.
Challenge
A CUSTOMIZED PROGRAM As a new Buidling Type, we had to devise a different approach to the design of the building. We had to rethink the purpose, the flow and the program. This Center needed to be community-focused, inclusive, and welcoming. We needed to pull the public into the world of Best Friends and get them involved, either to donate, volunteer, adopt or foster. It needed to support its affiliated rescues, foster parents, and the animals. It needed to provide adequate medical care and spay and neuter services. It needed to educate on all aspects of animal care including dog behavior or kitten feeding. It would even provide a community pantry for parents that were in need.
Realization and Technology
ANALYSIS A deep dive into typology allowed us to parse and categorize the language into architectural strategies for form. These are the strategies we used to manipulate our roofscape to achieve an efficient and intentional peaking, merging, kicking out of the slopes to traverse the site and shelter the program.
Operation and Interaction
The Center is a public building that supports the adoption and fostering of pets. The Community wing and the medical wing are connected with an internal bridge that provides shade for the event spaces below and a gathering and work space for volunteers.
Project Duration and Location
Location: Bentonville Arkansas The design for this project began in January 2020 with Construction ending in March 2023
Specifications
Site: 6 acres Building: 20,000 Square Feet Interior + 20,000 square feet exterior
Keywords
animal care, pet space, shelter

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