A challenge is now facing the architectural engineering design team to provide better-designed facilities. From the standpoint of a mechanical engineer, there are three issues to address. The first deals with temperature and humidity control. The hvac engineer must design a facility that is comfortable for the animals as well as the hospital staff. The second issue is ventilation. Proper ventilation will help contain odors and minimize the chances of health risks from harmful airborne pathogens. The third concern is noise control. Noise transmission depends on the building design and construction material used. Mechanical equipment, however, is a source for noise emission. The engineer has an obligation to design within acceptable noise levels.
Review of the literature has revealed that there are no scientific studies dedicated to the indoor environment of “neighborhood” animal hospitals. The most elaborate specifications for the environmental control of animal housing facilities refer to laboratory animal housing [1, 2, and 10]. While tolerances on the environmental conditions in these spaces are far more stringent, we can draw strong conclusions as to the proper handling and housing of animals in veterinary hospitals. From these conclusions, a guideline for the design of mechanical systems is proposed in this article. Finally a comparison with actual systems at AAVEC and other hospitals is presented.