Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal – Research Centre – Animal Facility
Client: CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
Project description
The animal facility at the Research Centre of the Sacré-Cœur hospital (CR-HSCM) was refurbished and upgraded to bring it up to standard. The project aimed at improving the animal and experimental research facilities and infrastructure, as well as the CR-HSCM’s support spaces and certain clinical research facilities. The new spaces include a procedure room, anesthesia room, workshop, recovery room, washing room, animal housing (pigs, mice and rats), offices, laboratories (wet and dry), recording room, zoochronology room, culture room, rat pool and food storage.
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Characteristics and Impacts
Modernization of the hospital’s infrastructure significantly improved air quality and safety, thanks to new heating, cooling, ventilation, fire protection and medical gas systems. Ventilation systems ensure a constant supply of fresh air, which is essential for areas where animals are kept. An advanced controls system provides precise maintenance of conditions. In terms of safety, new emergency feeder lines, fire alarms and video surveillance systems were installed, guaranteeing the research centre a modern and secure infrastructure.
Considering the space constraints of the existing mechanical rooms, the research centre was separated into three systems, for accommodations, procedures and labs. The systems are configured to operate in redundancy with each other, ensuring the functionality of the animal facility in all circumstances.
