New facility for the University of Bristol with provision of a new World Leading Poultry Research facility.

As part of CIEL, the University of Bristol developed a bespoke 326m2 poultry research unit with experimental hatchery facilities and an 8-room modular rearing/laying facility to enable experimental replication and procedure rooms. The rooms were equipped with state-of-the art monitoring equipment to assess bird activity and movement: a critical step in understanding behaviour and interactions with fixtures within a complex environment.

In essence, individual birds living within groups can be followed over their entire lifespan. The ability to track and locate birds, for example with RFID tags & to measure physical forces to which they are subjected during movement, and to assess physiological and behavioural measures of stress non-invasively and remotely, provides a basis for cutting-edge research.

The facility is particularly suited to early-stage pilot studies ahead of commercial trials.

Box Twenty were appointed by Enviramech Services Ltd to undertake the final design of the Mechanical services which included all the supply & extract ventilation systems, heating, cold water & drainage installations.

A centralised positive pressure supply system was designed to pressurise the corridors outside of the rearing rooms, with additional supply fans and acoustic attenuation providing the required air & heating to each room.

Heating was provided by electric radiant units with electric heater batteries heating the fresh air into the spaces to maintain the required temperatures which varied, depending on the age of the birds.