Construction on UW Animal Research facility ‘well underway’

The University of Washington is getting a new building to house more mice, monkeys, and rabbits.

Work on the Animal Research and Care Facility is “well underway,” according to the university’s Senior Construction Manager Jeff Angeley.

Related: What are they building?

The new facility will be completely underground, next to Foege Hall, near the intersection of Northwest Pacific Street and 15th Avenue NE.

Excavation for the building began earlier this year. Construction of the facility is expected to be finished by 2017. It will be ready for use by August 2017.

The primary purpose of the facility is to consolidate, centralize and increase holding and work space. The Department of Comparative Medicine and Non-Human Primate Center will be housed in it, according to a design packet.

“This new facility will further advances in science and medicine and create a more centralized, efficient and flexible facility to address current and future research needs at the University of Washington,” according to the Health Sciences Administration.

The facility will comply with the university’s Campus Masterplan.

Though the research space of the facility will be entirely below ground, some building systems will require structures or equipment at or above ground. That includes ventilation intake and exhaust stacks and air cooling equipment.

The facility will have two floors, both just over 40,000 square feet. There will be a structurally independent mechanical tower and entry pavilion. The underground floors will connect to a program area in Foege Hall, a service dock and the Health Science complex.

When finished, the facility will host various species of animals. The majority of animals will be small, including rodents such as mice and rats. Large animals will include rabbits, pigs, and non-human primates. The variety and amount of animals will be determined by the needs of the research community, according to the Health Sciences Administration.

The facility will cost about $123 million. Funding for the project comes from the university’s Internal Lending Program and bonds paid by income from agencies funding research projects.

The research facility is a project that prompted concerns from some in the Seattle community during its review process. Protesters called for the university to phase out animal experiments, according to a 2013 story by The Seattle Times.

The university has about 650 monkeys and other primates in two facilities, according to the Times’ story. The new center adds space for an additional 280 and increase capacity for rodents by 10 to 20 percent.

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