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Building Design for Animals
A Look Back: Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists
Devastated by a hurricane, Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists came to BDA needing a new home in a hurry, and BDA delivered.
In August 2017, the city of Houston was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. Terrible storm winds and flooding devastated the Houston area, causing widespread damage and destroying Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists’ former hospital.
The very next month BDA Architecture was retained and charged with constructing a replacement hospital within 18 months. While the displaced employees of GCVS were continuing their work out of space generously shared by other veterinary clinics in the area and a temporary hospital, BDA got to work fast-tracking the designs to renovate a large open floorplan warehouse into a new state-of-the-art veterinary facility.
Today, GCVS is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated veterinary health centers in the world. With over 55,000 square feet of clinical space, it rivals even university and other institutional facilities dedicated to the health of a wide range of species. Besides serving the southern Texas region, GCVS is a national destination facility for specialty veterinary medical procedures.
Open 24/7 and 365 days a year and treating more than 50,000 patients a year, GCVS provides care to canine, feline, avian, reptile, small mammals/pocket pets patients, and also treats zoo and exotic patients including small carnivores, marsupials, invertebrates and hoofed stock.
A beacon of specialty and emergency care, GCVS specialty departments include:
- Emergency
- Critical Care
- Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Avian and Exotics
- Dentistry and Oral Surgery
- Dermatology and Allergy
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Internal Medicine
- Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Medical Oncology
- Radiation Oncology / Nuclear Medicine
- Ophthalmology
- Rehabilitation, Hydrotherapy and Fitness
- Sports Medicine
- Surgery and Orthopedics
The BDA designed facility contains 47 exam rooms clustered by department with 7 distinct Treatment suites. There are 2 Intensive Care Wards, 4 Ultrasound suites, 3 Endoscopy suites, 4 standard Radiology rooms and 8 OR Surgery suites. The hospital also includes an Intermediate Care Ward, MRI, Dental, Gamma Camera, Hydrotherapy, Chemotherapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, LINAC, CT and MORE.
From heartbreaking ruin to an amazing new beginning, the Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists project was a huge undertaking by all involved, but through teamwork and dedication by BDA, the constructor and engineering consultants, and the client’s project team, GCVS has a new home and can continue their amazing work as one of the largest and most advanced veterinary hospitals in the world.
Read about GCVS's amazing story in these articles:
Houston Hospital Rebounds From 2017 Hurricane
Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists opens new hospital following Hurricane Harvey
