The headquarters of the Wayne State University medical campus is the Gordon Scott Hall of Basic Medical Sciences (Scott Hall) located in the Detroit Medical Center. Scott Hall was completed in 1971 and is a 10-story facility containing three 300-seat lecture halls, more than 300 research or teaching laboratories, academic offices for the basic science departments and administrative and service areas. The majority of classes for the first two years of medical school are conducted there. The basement located """"""""centralized"""""""" animal facility has been unable to meet laboratory animal housing needs of many Scott Hall based research programs because of space limitations. Research program expansion has led to establishment of animal rooms in experimental laboratories dispersed throughout floors 5 thru 8 in areas assigned to four basic science departments. The proposal will allow expansion of the centralized facility by conversion of same floor contiguous space to animal rooms. The centralized facility is operated by the University's Division of Laboratory Animal Resources. This plan will achieve the following: (1) Relocation of dispersed animals to the expanded centralized facility (2) improved efficiency of animal facility operations (3) eliminate need to move feed, bedding, wastes, cage equipment and animals vertically and throughout building (4) provide improved security of animal rooms (5) reduce space pressures in present centralized facility related to total animal population/rm.; no. of species houses/rm.; no. of investigators sharing each rm.; and no. of vendors represented/rm. (6) increase use flexibility of animal facility (7) reduce potential for exposure of building's human occupants to animal odors and danders (8) improve the ease of vermin control and (9) help assure that AAALAC accreditation of the university's campus wide (12 building sites) animal care and use program is retained. Finally the project will yield ten 10'-0"""""""" x10'-4"""""""" rms., three 9'-0""""""""x11'-0"""""""" rms., and two 9'-0""""""""x12'-8"""""""" rms. The 9'-0""""""""x12'-8"""""""" rms. will each have two 4'-0""""""""x6'-0"""""""" cubicles. Therefore, seventeen separate animal holding rooms will be created. These new rooms will be used principally for housing rats and mice. Guinea pigs, hamsters and other cage held species will be kept in separate rooms or cubicles as space needs dictate. Rooms presently housing animals on floors 5 thru 8 will be rededicated to original intended use as research laboratories or office space.
