An Energy-Efficient Vivarium

Jeff Freeman, Ph. D., Garvan Institute of Medical Research

A new 4,000-square-meter vivarium has been recently constructed on a green-fields site 130 kilometers from Sydney, Australia. The facility is exclusively used for the breeding of SPF mice for use in research institutes across New South Wales, Australia. It is designed to significantly reduce energy consumption and running costs compared with conventional facilities and exceeds the efficiency requirements of the Building Code of Australia (new part J provisions). The facility has an initial capacity of 17,500 cages but has been planned to be easily expandable to 33,000 cages as required.

Biography:

Jeff Freeman, Ph. D., has been involved in biomedical research facility design as a consultant and a manager for over 13 years, following an earlier research career. He is currently director of facility development and engineering at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. He is an electrical engineer and holds a Ph. D. in neuroscience.

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