Next month Jeffrey Zynda will present at the 12th FELASA and 12th SECAL joint congress entitled; ‘Animal Research: Better Science from Fewer Animals’ in Barcelona. Jeff will speak on June 10 on the topic of Paradigm Shift in Cagewash Equipment.
Session Title: Waste not: How the Paradigm Shift in Cagewash Equipment can significantly reduce Energy Consumption and Reduce Operating Costs
Presentation: Monday, June 10, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
We are at a paradigm shift in Vivarium technology, in which there are choices that can be made, particularly in cagewash equipment and methods, which can significantly reduce energy consumption space and operational costs. This is particularly germane to cage-washing operations, equipment and methodology. Data from the USA indicates that the lack of exploration into alternate technologies and reliance on narrow previous experience can lead to millions of dollars in wasted water, electricity, steam and other energy resources. With ever-increasing energy costs globally, wasteful spending in these areas may result in less capital available for other research endeavours.
However, exploring new options is a common challenge in new facility or renovation design. This presentation uses a year-long in-depth case-study, on applying a process-oriented life-cycle equipment cost evaluation procedure, to illustrate benefits, improvements, potential energy and cost savings to decision makers and to challenge the conventional notions about space allocation, and energy consumption in animal facility cagewash operations. These techniques provide: (i) a greater understanding of choices that can be made early in the design process to ensure that sustainable awareness and choices are brought to the table; (ii) tools for the evaluation of process, procedure and methodology of cage-wash operations to achieve time, energy and labour savings and (ii) knowledge of simply adapted planning design principles and details which improve working environment in cage-wash areas within Vivaria.
Related:
Tradeline: Research & Research Facility Futures
Critical Factors in the Planning and Design of High-Containment Facilities
This is Not the Same Lab You’ve Designed Before
Opening later this year, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA is an essay in the tuning of building façades for performance. The aluminum sunshades that veil the building began as a concept tested by scoring Bristol paper. The team utilized tools from all modalities: paper models, CNC-mills, parametric studies, solar analysis, wind and water simulations and full-scale mock-ups to inform the design and drive energy use down. The ultra-high performance building is tracking a 61% reduction in energy use compared to the 2030 baseline.
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