Sheila Reilly and M. Christie Smith play with a few of the kittens available for adoption.

The Providence Journal Frieda Squires

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — From the ground-hugging perspective of Panda, an 11-week old puppy, the new $8-million building of the Potter League for Animals may not be home, but it’s a luxury hotel in comparison to the high-kill shelter in North Carolina where he started out.

Panda, a white Australian Shepherd mix with black spots, has his own glass-enclosed condo outfitted with a sleeping cot, a selection of toys and a bowl full of fresh water.

Panda shares an indoor play area with just three other dogs. And he can feel the grass under his paws in a fenced-in backyard that belongs to the four suite mates.

Down the hall from Panda’s condo, in the large, airy doggy training room, the U.S. Green Building Council on Monday awarded the Potter League a coveted LEED gold award — the second-highest distinction — for design features that promote not only energy and materials conservation, but the health and welfare of the animals.

The design of the 19,000-square-foot building, twice the size of the old shelter, also creates a more welcoming environment for volunteers and allows the staff to do their jobs with greater efficiency, said Pat Heller, director of development and outreach.

“We used to have one long dog kennel,” Heller said.

Volunteers had to walk past the entire canine population, inevitably setting off a round of barking, to retrieve their assigned dog for a walk.

“We lost a lot of volunteers,” Heller said.

But volunteers find it much easier to navigate the condo suites, approachable from the play area and from private doors on the opposite side.

Radiata pine on the ceilings absorbs sound, diminishing the impact of the neighbors’ barking. The glass and Plexiglas picture windows and doors on either side of the rooms also block out smells that may excite the residents. At the same time, a knee-high “sniff hole” in each room allows the occupants to discreetly check out potential adopters.

“The dogs are way less stressed,” Heller said.

The Potter League is the only animal shelter in the country, and the first public building in Rhode Island, to achieve gold status in the LEED program.

LEED, a program intended to promote environmentally friendly building design through universally understood criteria, stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The gold award means that the shelter has achieved at least 60 percent of LEED criteria, according to the Web site of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Other “green” buildings in Rhode Island include the new $95-million Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island headquarters at Waterplace Park in downtown Providence, the $60-million headquarters for FM Global in Johnston, a $14-million library at the Bay Campus of the University of Rhode Island, and a $59-million biotechnology center at URI in Kingston.

In Middletown, Connie McGreavy, founder of the Rhode Island chapter of the Green Building Council, said the new animal shelter resulted from “incredible vision and perseverance” by the nonprofit organization.

The building makes extensive use of recycled materials and has 30 percent greater energy efficiency than mandated national building codes. The hospital-grade ventilation system, which uses only fresh air, has cut down on upper respiratory illnesses so much that the Potter League can no longer participate in a research study of infections common among shelter cats, Heller said. Healthier animals lead to quicker adoptions, Heller said.

Panda, by the way, has already found a family and will be heading soon to his new home, she said.

gmacris@projo.com