ABSTRACT
Building or renovating an animal research facility (ARF) is a daunting task. Aside from meeting all the regulations and guidelines for quality animal care and use and employee safety, a facility project requires accommodating the variety of research protocols ongoing at the institution and projecting the possible protocols and species requirements in the future. As a program manager or director of a major operation, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the constituents. Constituents include researchers, care and operational staff, and the animals themselves. Research involving experimental animals focuses on the measurement of their biological processes as the primary determinant of data. The physical plant must be designed to support the vivarium operations. The architect selected to design the animal facility must have experience and a deep understanding of vivarium operations in order to successfully integrate operational requirements into the physical plant.
