Dogs Trust, Chestfield

The new re-homing centre for the Dogs Trust between Chestfield and Canterbury was successfully handed over on Monday 28th September 2009. This new kennels facility extends their capacity to care for more than 60 dogs.

The new building combines modernistic runs and sleeps for the dogs in glazed stainless steel with a rustic barn effect for the reception and external fabric. This includes a Douglas fir feature frame in the reception supporting the roof, handmade bricks and weatherboarding. The roof continues this theme with handmade clay tiling and standing seam single ply.

A steel framed and insulated clad construction training barn is built adjacent to the re-homing block. In addition to the accommodation and training facilities extensive external works were carried out on the 6 acre site. These include new parking at the front of the site and roadways to the re-homing block, entrance landscaping and pathways for visitors, external exercise runs and 2 new ponds. At the rear of the site excavated material from the new buildings and roads have been landscaped to form mounded walk areas for the dogs. More than half a mile of new fencing provides new boundary security and encloses the exercise run areas.

The project was completed on programme and under budget.

Client: Dogs Trust Architect: Napier and Co Value: £1.82M