Share thisHaving spent a considerable amount of time over the past 30 years working with planners, architects, engineers, facility directors, and supervisors, I have come to appreciate the challenges that confront the design team and the importance of considering each of the disciplines that are brought to the table.
Since Animal Lab News launched their first publication in September of 2002, there has been a wide variety of informative articles related to animal research facilities with topics ranging from lab planning, project management, case studies, lessons learned, equipment integration, commissioning, and other special topics. A common thread throughout these articles has been a focus on industry trends, technology advancements, and improved management practices. So, as I approached this article, I wanted to keep in mind some of the challenges the design team faces as they develop the scope of the proposed facility, looking for the best possible solutions for a successful design.
Technology Advancements
Over the past 30 years, I have seen a variety of facility design outcomes that have been successful and others that have resulted in further modification, redesign, or, in some cases, replacement of failed components and equipment.
I will always remember my first experience at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1975, walking through each animal room and support area conducting a survey of animal populations, projecting future housing needs, developing floor plan schematics, and taking into consideration the future needs of the research programs. At that time there were fewer cage manufacturers to choose from, with a selection of polycarbonate and stainless steel caging systems. Static isolation cages with filter tops were just gaining acceptance. The centralization of the Institute’s animal facilities and the management of those facilities had a major impact on the quality of research and animal care for years to come as they continued to integrate new technologies. The one key component of the facility that did fail within the first year was the flooring, a problem that still plagues our industry. The advice I can pass on from this lesson learned is only work with flooring companies that work primarily in the laboratory animal industry with a proven “track record.” Why? They understand the extreme conditions under which flooring systems must perform, such as heavy racks with casters and constant wet areas, and they are dedicated to the laboratory animal science industry.
New Design Challenges
The introduction of the first individually ventilated cage would not arrive in our industry until 1978, under the direction of Dr. Ed Les of Jackson Laboratory, in collaboration with Bill Thomas of Thoren Caging. Their focus was to improve intra-cage ventilation and increase housing capacity in their colonies. It was approximately another 10 years before other manufacturers introduced other ventilated cage designs. Since then, our industry worldwide has been dominated by the introduction of ventilated caging and has had a major impact on the design of animal research facilities. These higher density animal housing systems came as a result of the increasing demands of medical research. They have also stimulated technology advances with respect to the design and layout of research facilities, construction components, building management systems, environmental control, flooring materials, cage washers, sterilizers, robotics, animal watering, higher levels of containment, and sophisticated experimental data and colony management software.