Construction boom pumps up new lab building costs As of this writing early in June 2007, the overall economy is active, and construction activity is markedly up from this time last year, although the R&D construction marketplace continues to present a mixed picture. A vivarium primer: Keys to planning for success Three components generally determine how well an animal facility will function: animal caging, the configuration of the room, and personnel and material flow in and out of the facility. Minimizing reheat energy use in laboratories As the simulation analysis printed in the June issue shows, equipment load variation in laboratories can increase energy use in laboratories that have systems with reheat. The magnitude of this increase varies with location, ventilation rate, and degree of variation.