You know the environment well. The steady hum of IVC racks. The precision of daily checks. The deep responsibility that comes with caring for animals whose role in research is both essential and emotionally complex.

You've seen the blueprints. You know the numbers. Vivarium construction costs are climbing into the stratosphere and a huge chunk of that budget isn't for science—it's for a single, resource-hungry wing of the building: the cage-wash facility. It's the noisy, steaming, energy-devouring heart of the traditional vivarium. A complex nexus of industrial washers, autoclaves, intricate plumbing, and specialized HVAC systems that can dictate the entire facility's layout, budget, and

In a vivarium, time off is never abstract. Every approved vacation, conference trip, or medical leave has immediate operational consequences. Animal care does not pause, regulatory obligations remain fixed, and study timelines continue to move forward—regardless of how many names are crossed off the schedule. For managers and facility leaders, this creates a familiar tension. Supporting staff well-being means encouraging people to take the time they need. Supporting research

Most vivariums today carry a hidden burden—one that consumes extraordinary amounts of water, energy, labor, and floor space: the cage wash facility. While most sustainability conversations center on HVAC systems, the washroom is often the single most resource-intensive component of the entire vivarium. This is also where the biggest opportunity lies. A growing number of institutions are transitioning from reusable rodent caging (and the wash infrastructure required to support

Sustainability reporting is now central to vivarium operations—alongside animal welfare, research integrity, compliance and budget oversight. Among the most critical decisions is your facility’s caging infrastructure:

Here’s a number that should make every facility director uncomfortable: your vivarium is consuming energy at a rate 7 to 9 times higher than a standard office building—473 kBtu per square foot annually¹. And it gets worse. That vivarium occupying just 13% of your building’s floor space? It’s eating up roughly 35% of your total energy budget¹.

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, research facilities faced catastrophic losses. Backup systems failed, and decades of irreplaceable data disappeared. This harsh reality underscores a fundamental truth: even the most sophisticated research operations remain vulnerable to unexpected disruptions. These disruptions can destroy years of scientific progress in a matter of hours. Contingency planning in animal care facilities goes beyond regulatory compliance. It

In the controlled environment of modern vivariums, contamination represents far more than a housekeeping concern. Undetected microbial invaders can transform months of meticulous research into unreliable data, forcing study repetition and delaying critical discoveries. Yet many facilities approach contamination control reactively, addressing problems after they emerge rather than engineering prevention into their operational foundation. The most sophisticated research operati

Research facility directors face a persistent challenge: maintaining exceptional animal care standards while managing operational costs and staffing complexities. With laboratory animal technician salaries varying significantly based on certification level and industry turnover presenting ongoing retention challenges, staffing decisions carry substantial financial and operational implications. The question is no longer whether to optimize vivarium staffing, but how. Three dis

The use of cage-washing systems can be costly, burdensome and labor-intensive. Animal care facilities face significant operational...