Facility Design

Vivarium Design

Acoustic and Vibration Considerations for Animal Research Facilities: Planning Through Construction
Deal with noise and vibration issues during planning, design, and construction to avoid costly corrections.
Incorporating an Ethological Perspective to Improve Animal Welfare and Data Quality
According to animal welfare ethologists, animals should be evaluated based upon their natural behaviour to improve the quality of experimental data collected.
Animal Lab Design for Existing Spaces
A look at renovation, expansion, and conversion

Green Design

The Greening of Containment: Airflow Issues
In this installment of my sustainable design and containment series, I will focus on energy issues particularly related to the systems required, and energy used, to move air through a containment laboratory.
The Greening of Containment
We must challenge the existing paradigms in both operation and design if we are to make significant impact on sustainability in laboratories.
How Green Can Vivarium Design Be?
When it comes to designing energy-efficient research buildings and laboratories, the primary challenge is to achieve a balance between energy consumption and research efficacy.

Automation

Automation in the Animal Facility: From a Nightmare to a Blessing
Automation can help every facility run more smoothly.
Bedding Out, Bedding In
Many bedding disposal and dispensing products offer distinct advantages to save animal facilities both time and money.
Automatic Data Collection Systems for Animal Care Facilities
Today’s animal care facilities can increase efficiencies of routine husbandry management tasks by utilizing the numerous automatic data collection technologies available.

Facility Security

Designing With Security In Mind
Globalising animal rights issues and the targeting of secondary and tertiary targets means that all animal laboratory organisations must make security a top priority during the design/build process.
New Fire Protection Code Will Impact Animal Facilities
Implementation of NFPA 150 in its current form will have widespread space planning impacts, cost implications, and could functionally prohibit the use of common protocols and equipment within laboratory related Animal Housing Facilities.
More on Biocontainment Security
In dealing with the design and operations of facilities that handle hazardous biological organisms, consistent and objective guidance, rules, and regulations are critical.

Aquatic Facilities

Zebrafish: The Challenge of Standardization in a Maturing Research Model
With the growing presence of zebrafish in labs internationally, participants at a recent workshop discussed action items for consistent care and use standards that are scientifically-based.
The Fish Room: A Machine for Research
The new research facility “type” is aquatic — and with the introduction of water into the research environment, a new set of room design parameters is rising to the surface of the industry.
Laboratory Design to Support Marine Animals
Designing science laboratories that support healthy marine animals requires environmental alignment with dynamic seawater coastlines, presenting numerous issues for architects and engineers.

Core Facilities

Incorporating an Ethological Perspective to Improve Animal Welfare and Data Quality
According to animal welfare ethologists, animals should be evaluated based upon their natural behaviour to improve the quality of experimental data collected.
Neurobehavioral Core Facilities
Development of a core facility can encourage multi-disciplined research by providing equipment and expertise in a central location.
The Fish Room: A Machine for Research
The new research facility “type” is aquatic — and with the introduction of water into the research environment, a new set of room design parameters is rising to the surface of the industry.

Disaster Planning

The Case For A "One Health" Paradigm Shift
The One Health concept calls for a merging of perspectives from within human and veterinary medical disciplines.
Climate For Change?
Dr. Greg Norris talks with Executive Editor Jim Wallace about climate change and how this will have an impact on laboratory animal facility operations.
Regulation Update - Jan/Feb 2009
USDA Proposes Disaster Planning for Animal Welfare During Disasters; ILAR Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals –Update; European Union to Revise EU Protocol on Animal Welfare