Facility Planning

Whilst the use of animals continues to be a key requirement in the progression of biomedical research, there is a need to house them in appropriate accommodation for both breeding and experimental purposes. The physical environment that the animals are kept in plays a critical part in the quality of science generated by an institution and the welfare of those animals. The planning, design and building or refurbishment of laboratory animal facilities is a complex and lengthy process, requiring diverse expert input via carefully managed specialist teams to optimise success. This chapter provides an overview of these aspects, which will be discussed in greater detail elsewhere.