The Eccles Building is a $50 million-plus commitment to world-class medical research benefiting humanity and veterinary medicine – and world-class conditions for research animals and staff.
The MPI-registered Eccles Building is a modern biomedical research and containment facility providing flexible bookable Physical Containment level 2 (PC2) animal and microbiological research space for multiple research groups from across the University. It also includes a full biocontainment pathogen-free barrier facility, built and tested to Physical Containment level 3 (PC3) pressure test requirements, providing for significant improvements in animal care.
A bold commitment to quality means the building's design, construction and operation is significantly complex due to the extensive compliance, security, and redundancy requirements to ensure maximum animal care, quality of research and business continuity. Aspects include providing strict environmental controls including temperature, humidity, and pressure as well as the ability to operate off-grid in the event of loss of services. The 4,000m2 building is constructed to an Importance Level 3 (IL3) seismic rating and houses 28 air handling units and 3.2km of mechanical ducting.
The structure also allows for connection to a future building in potential Health Sciences developments.
The project utilised independent biological compliance peer reviews throughout the project delivery, from planning and design through to construction and accreditation, to ensure a robust adherence to compliance and that control measures integrated with operational needs.
This cutting-edge facility enhances and future-proofs our status as a world-class, leading scientific institution.