Oregon Humane Society

The New Road Ahead project expands the Oregon Humane Society’s Portland campus and bolsters the organization’s national leadership ability in animal welfare.

The expansion comprises two buildings: one houses the Community Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Crimes Forensics Center, and the other houses the Behavior Modification and Rescue Center. The site is next to the existing shelter and expands the campus from one building to three.

The Animal Crimes Forensics Center is on the second floor of the hospital building and is the second of its kind in the nation. This innovative center supports investigations for criminal cases and created a secure, science-based facility that effectively protects chain-of-custody evidence gathering that may be used in the prosecution of animal abuse. The precise design includes secure entries for the forensics team, evidence storage rooms and durable laboratory and necropsy rooms. The building’s circulation protects the chain of custody and enables the forensics team to safely perform this sensitive and important work.

Early in the process, OHS shared their guiding principles for this project: to provide help to the animals; for the design process to be transparent, collaborative and inclusive; and to create a leading-edge facility that will serve as an educational agent of change. The resulting buildings incorporate those principles and enhance OHS’s mission.