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Vivarium & Lab Design Readiness Checklist

Use this early to surface decisions that affect biosecurity, workflow, capacity, cost, and long-term operability—before they become expensive to change.

Project Snapshot

Check an item only when it is confirmed or documented. Leave unknown or unresolved items blank.

Organization or project Prepared by Facility or project location Date

Current stage

Concept planning Programming or design Construction or commissioning Renovation or optimization

1. Program & Capacity

Species, study types, census, and growth assumptions are defined.
Housing, procedure, support, storage, and circulation needs are included in the program.
Critical adjacencies and travel distances reflect the operating workflow.
Quarantine, acclimation, barrier, and conventional zones are clearly assigned.

2. Biosecurity & Flow

Personnel, animals, caging, supplies, and waste have defined clean and dirty routes.
Barrier transitions include appropriate gowning, PPE, and access controls.
Pressure relationships and airflow support the containment strategy.
Pass-throughs, autoclaves, and decontamination points preserve barrier integrity.

3. Cage Wash & Equipment

Cage wash capacity supports peak throughput with a clear soiled-to-clean progression.
Major equipment loads, utilities, clearances, and service access are confirmed.
Heat, humidity, vibration, and noise are controlled near sensitive spaces.
Clean and soiled staging, consumables, and bulk storage are adequately sized.

4. Environment & Utilities

Temperature, humidity, air changes, lighting, and vibration match program requirements.
Containment requirements drive filtration, pressurization, exhaust, and monitoring.
Power, water, drainage, gases, data, and structural capacity support planned equipment.
Emergency power and redundancy protect life safety, ventilation, animals, and critical systems.

5. Materials & Maintainability

Finishes are cleanable, durable, sealed, and compatible with site disinfectants.
Doors, walls, corners, and hardware tolerate carts, washdown, and routine impact.
Equipment can be removed, replaced, and maintained without disrupting containment.
Maintenance routes and service zones minimize entry into controlled spaces.

6. Operations & Staffing

Future users have walked through daily, peak, and emergency workflows.
Staffing, supervision, training, and SOP needs are planned before occupancy.
Ergonomics and material handling risks are addressed for repetitive or heavy tasks.
Receiving, sanitation, waste, security, and after-hours support responsibilities are assigned.

7. Flexibility & Growth

Capacity assumptions include realistic operational and utility headroom.
Rooms and support spaces can adapt to likely program or species changes.
Phasing or expansion can occur without compromising occupied operations.
Future equipment and technology needs are considered without overbuilding today.

8. Compliance & Commissioning

Applicable animal care, biosafety, occupational safety, and building requirements are identified.
IACUC, IBC, EH&S, facilities, and operations stakeholders review key milestones.
Commissioning tests environmental controls, pressure relationships, alarms, and equipment.
Training, turnover documents, punch-list closure, and post-occupancy review are planned.

Using Your Results

Unchecked items are planning questions, not automatic deficiencies. Prioritize gaps that affect containment, workflow, utilities, animal welfare, or decisions that become costly after construction.

Planning or improving a vivarium or lab?

I help research organizations pressure-test design and operating decisions before they become expensive constraints.

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© 2026 Paul Nederhoed Consulting, LLC. This checklist is a general planning aid, not a substitute for project-specific professional advice.