At ACD Projects, we understand that great veterinary and animal welfare facilities are not only places of treatment and rehabilitation, but also environments for learning and collaboration.
ACD Projects was founded with strong links to the educational sector. Early involvement included works at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital in Cambridge, followed by developments for the Animal Health Trust, both institutions that played an important role in training and shaping generations of veterinary professionals across the UK.
Since then, our experience has continued to evolve across a wide range of educational and specialist training environments within the industry, giving us a strong understanding of how learning can be successfully integrated into operational practice without compromising the functionality of busy facilities.
Unlike general architectural practices, our sector-specific experience means we understand the unique requirements associated with veterinary and animal care education, particularly where teaching environments must operate seamlessly alongside live clinical or animal welfare settings.
This may include consideration of:
• Clinical workflow and observation opportunities
• Specialist equipment coordination
• Audio visual integration for teaching and demonstrations
• Flexible multi-use teaching spaces
• Staff wellbeing and collaborative working environments
• Integration of live clinical environments with student or visitor access
Examples:
Veterinary Practices: Immersive Training
Cheshire Cardiology
Dr. Emily Dutton of Cheshire Cardiology wished for her specialist practice to incorporate dedicated educational and training facilities that would support both veterinary students and qualified clinicians in an engaging and interactive way.
The resulting design included an Educational Theatre and Prep area inspired by teaching environments commonly found within veterinary colleges and human healthcare settings. A dedicated viewing window from the top floor open-plan office allows procedures to be observed and notes taken without disrupting the clinical team working within theatre.
In addition to supporting training and collaboration, this arrangement also provides operational and infection control benefits by reducing unnecessary traffic within the theatre environment and limiting the potential spread of viruses or contaminants within the clinical space.
Referral Hospitals and Universities: Flagship Facilities
Southfields Veterinary Specialists
Many of the veterinary hospitals and educational facilities we work on are flagship establishments, often designed with the intention of accommodating visiting clinicians, students, and industry professionals. As a result, these environments frequently incorporate facilities such as lecture and meeting spaces, collaborative learning environments, and overnight accommodation to support ongoing education, CPD and specialist training.
This includes projects such as Southfields Veterinary Specialists, one of Europe’s largest multi-disciplinary veterinary referral hospitals. Southfields wished to offer a facility which supported internships, residency programmes, student placements, and postgraduate clinical training across a wide range of specialist disciplines. The hospital includes dedicated teaching and lecture facilities, including a 100-seat lecture theatre and flexible training environments which allow students, interns and visiting professionals to observe and participate in live clinical practice across departments such as diagnostic imaging, oncology, surgery and neurology.
Royal Veterinary College
The completed facility now provides the Royal Veterinary College with a purpose-built large animal handling unit designed to support modern veterinary teaching. The building includes a laboratory, a large classroom and ancillary spaces supporting farm-based teaching and practical activity, alongside an open barn environment that enables adaptable, observation-based teaching across multiple species.