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Building Design for Animals
BDA Partner Paw-files: Dave Gasser
For 27 years, Senior Partner Dave Gasser has been a pillar of the BDA Architecture team, helping veterinarians and animal care professionals around the globe transform their facility dreams into reality.
From the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the Land of Enchantment
Dave's architectural journey began in Monticello, Minnesota. After completing his first two years of college in his home state, he made the move to New Mexico to finish his architectural degree at the University of New Mexico (UNM).
It was during his time at UNM that a studio classmate and BDA intern connected Dave with the firm. Following an interview with founder Wayne Usiak and principal Architect Paul Gladysz, Dave officially joined the BDA family as an intern architect in December of 1999. Over nearly three decades, he worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming a partner and now a senior partner.
Designing Across Borders: Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Beyond
BDA has designed facilities in every corner of the United States and Canada—from Maine, to Alaska—and Dave's portfolio with the firm also includes major international landmarks. Two of his most rewarding career highlights took him across the globe to Hong Kong and Mumbai, India.
"It was really interesting working on the Hong Kong project. Going out and visiting veterinary facilities… how they differed so much from how medicine is done in the United States," Dave says. "Then working with all these specialists to help develop that design and program, the floorplans, and then seeing it come to fruition was amazing."
Later, a project in Mumbai presented a unique challenge: designing a massive facility that combined a specialty veterinary hospital with an animal shelter medicine program for the city.
"With BDA being fully focused on animal care design and really understanding that client type... we are able to focus on how we can provide the best facility to help them provide their best care for animals," he reflects.
The Art of "Architectural Tetris"
Having started in the industry when design was primarily done with pen and paper, Dave possesses a unique ability to easily visualize 2D plans as 3D spaces in his mind. This skill becomes incredibly valuable when working on one of his favorite project types: renovations of existing buildings.
While some architects prefer building from the ground up, Dave thrives on limitations like existing walls, structural constraints, and orientation challenges.
"I get really excited about existing buildings where you have a lot of these limitations or potential challenges with the shape, the size, the orientation of the building and now finding a way to provide a very efficient, well-thought-through plan that fits into those shapes… it's like Tetris, and I love playing Tetris."
A Philosophy of Efficiency and Experience
When asked to distill his design philosophy into its core components, Dave points to lessons learned early in his career under Wayne's mentorship, combined with a deep empathy for the people who use the space:
1. Efficiency: "Can we do more with less?” Approaching a design thinking about how to make the most efficient design.
2. Experience: "How does a client or staff member feel when they walk in the front door?” Creating spaces that both clients and staff members truly want to come to.
This deep understanding of the building type allows BDA to innovate constantly, collaborating directly with veterinarians and other clients to design what they want, what they need, and what truly works.
Fueled by Client Passion
What keeps an architect inspired after 27 years in the same niche? For Dave, it's the clients. As a lifelong dog lover, knowing his work directly supports guide dog facilities, animal shelters, and life-saving veterinary hospitals is incredibly fulfilling.
"I still love doing the work. I love coming every day." Dave says. "I love to work with clients to build their dream… to them, it's like they’re building a home for themselves, building these clinics is very personal to them, and being able to help them get the best results makes my job even more rewarding."
Whether it's receiving a glowing thank-you note from a longtime client or collaborating with a passionate facility team, Dave thrives on the shared energy of the people he serves. "I still get clients talking about how beautiful that their project came out and [how they] enjoyed the experience," Dave remarks, a great reminder of the strong collaboration it takes to turn a vision into a physical reality.
The Active Family Man
When he isn't designing world-class animal care facilities, Dave is likely embracing the outdoors. He is an avid golfer, downhill skier, and loves spending time on the lake wake surfing and wakeboarding—hobbies he loves passing down to his kids.
Maintaining a strong connection to his roots, he frequently travels back to Minnesota to visit family and fish for sunfish and bass with the kids off the dock. He also tries to make a perennial saltwater fishing trip to land a big ocean catch or two alongside the occasional trip closer to home at Navajo Lake in northern New Mexico.
