Vivarium Renovation: Avoid the Common Pitfalls
By George Kemper, Larry DiGennaro
All renovation planning can benefit from following a checklist of efficient energy and operationally attainable goals.
Real Applications of Green Strategies in Vivaria
By Camila Querasian, Lea Anne Leatherwood
Facility profiles at the Texas A&M University and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
The Containment Barrier - Testing It Right, Part 1
By Randy Kray, AIA
How do we manage these risks effectively? As with most things, early prevention is the best cure.
Meeting the BMBL Requirement of No Airflow Reversal from ABSL-3 and BSL-3 Rooms
By Dan Frasier, PE
One of the most challenging issues for today’s BSL-3 facilities is the BMBL statement, “The laboratory shall be designed such that under failure conditions the airflow will not be reversed.”
Commissioning a Biocontainment Facility for Accreditation/Certification: Part 4: Commisioning, Continuity, and Quality Assurance
By Michael L. Weiss, Ph.D. ABD, HCCP
Consider that when working on U.S. biocontainment projects, there are up to 70 regulatory bodies which may impact compliance that must be documented and verified prior to receiving operational authorization or accreditation.
Commissioning a Biocontainment Facility for Accreditation/Certification - Part 3: O&M and Commisioning
By Michael L. Weiss, Ph.D. ABD, HCCP
What are the costs to maintain a biocontainment facility? Can a proactive commissioning program mitigate the expense of operation? What should occur in design and construction to keep the owner’s team abreast, aware, and willing in regards to long term operational expenses?
Commissioning a Biocontainment Facility for Accreditation/Certification - Part 2: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Commissioning and Compliance
By Michael L. Weiss, Ph.D. ABD, HCCP
Too often in the design of animal biocontainment facilities we have become captive to the premises that the facility itself is static and that we as operators need to accept the facility and then develop the standard operational protocols after acceptance and turn over.
Commissioning a Biocontainment Facility for Accreditation/Certification: Part 1: General Commissioning and Biocontainment Concepts
By Michael L. Weiss, Ph.D. ABD, HCCP
Whether your project is a new building or a small renovation, a diagnostics lab or a high-containment animal research facility, the process of commissioning can become an integral tool in support of applications required for many accreditation and certification organizations.
Conclusive Vivarium Performance through the Commissioning Process
By Dan Frasier, PE
The Benefits of Hands-on Commissioning: This article focuses primarily on the Construction and Acceptance Phase commissioning activities, describing methods important for conclusively achieving the performance required in today’s laboratories.
Commissioning Biocontainment Laboratories
By Carl C. Schultz, P.E.
From incorrect HVAC control sequences to missing, paid-for equipment, commissioning or retrocommissioning a facility is an important process for optimum operation and efficiency. In response to these questions, it is important to note that a biocontainment laboratory is composed of many systems and subsystems bound together in complex ways.
The Role of Commissioning in Biocontainment Facility Certification
By Dan Frasier, PE
Certification requires a conclusive and effective commissioning process.
Case Study: Lessons Learned on Commissioning Service Scope Reductions
By Dan Frasier, PE
The commissioning process is viewed as a necessary part of successful laboratory and vivarium projects today. No longer is it considered an extra expense compared to projects a decade ago.
Cutting costs by cutting back on the commissioning scope of work can mean extra costs in the long run.
Commissioning - The Early Bird Gets the Worm
By Tom Kreher
After research objectives are defined and funding is obtained, an owner’s next major concern in the development of a new lab animal facility should be an activity that is, in majority, conducted at the very end of the facility’s construction – commissioning.
Animal Facility Commissioning Complications
By Kenyon W. Kirk, GC, LATG, SRS, Peggy Shen, BS
Four years after building a new animal facility, the authors reflect on the process of commissioning the physical plant of a now AAALAC-accredited animal facility and the complications that arose. Here, they share their experiences and solutions, which might be of some benefit to other groups in the process of animal facility commissioning.
Commisioning: Laboratory Animal Facilities
By Dan Frasier, PE
As today's laboratories and laboratory animal facilities become increasingly complex and demanding, a proven commissioning process is becoming more common in the construction of these facilities because of the short and long term benefits commissioning offers.