Michigan Humane Society

This new state-of-the-art facility in Detroit’s North End neighborhood creates more joyous unions for the 15,000 animals that pass through its doors every year.

The Michigan Humane Society (MHS) is a charitable animal welfare organization.  It is the largest and oldest such organization in the state, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year at its three facilities in southeastern Michigan. One of those facilities is an animal adoption and treatment center in Detroit which was built in the early 1930’s. MHS selected Neumann/Smith as Executive Architect to design a new facility which includes state-of-the-art and science animal treatment, rehabilitation, and adoption space as well as its administration offices on a four acre site recently purchased in Detroit. Neumann/Smith is collaborating with Blue Sky Architecture, animal facility consultants, on the design of a nurturing animal environment.  One of the key design challenges will be integrating the facility into a neighborhood of single family residences while providing an identifiable icon from the adjacent I-75 expressway corridor.