A National Leader in Laboratory, Research and Biopharmaceutical Construction, DPR Delivers Successful Results Even Through the Most Challenging Trials

When DPR undertook construction of a 40,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing “fill and finish” facility on the third floor of an existing four-story building, originally designed for R&D laboratory use, the team knew it was up against some steep challenges. Even the customer’s in-house engineering team and project engineer doubted that DPR could deliver within the aggressive timeframe and under such strict budget constraints.

The building’s existing floor-to-ceiling heights and original structural support systems, for starters, were not programmed for the heavy equipment loads and extensive HVAC and process utility requirements of a fill and finish facility—particularly one not located at ground level. DPR’s design-assist role also required it to coordinate the workload and often-competing schedules of the multiple design entities involved in the project. Finally, all construction had to be completed in 14 months, while the rest of the building remained fully operational.

DPR stepped up to each challenge with creative building solutions, and in this instance, the customer was more than happy not to be right. “We recognize what a tough job this was for all parties involved, and the significant role that DPR played in turning what could have easily been a disaster of a project into a successful team effort,” noted the owner representative.

Biotech Round Up

The company’s collaborative team approach, combined with its extensive technical building expertise, keep DPR on the forefront of biotech construction—from R&D laboratories and pilot facilities to large-scale fermentation and diagnostics/ device manufacturing. With approximately 120 biotech and pharmaceutical jobs, totaling more than $680 million, currently in various stages of construction across the country, DPR is working on such notable projects as:

• the fourth and fifth of seven total buildings for Slough Estates USA, located on the Pfizer La Jolla campus, including a 90,000-sq.-ft. facility and an 80,000-sq.-ft., four-story steel structure in La Jolla, CA
• the grass roots, $300 million New IDEC Manufacturing Operation (NIMO) in Oceanside, CA, for IDEC Pharmaceuticals
• a 44,000-sq.-ft., ground-up sterile fill and finish facility for Bayer Corp. in Berkeley, CA
• a 190,000-sq.-ft. relocation and expansion facility for SCIOS, Inc., in Fremont, CA
• the six-story, 170,000-sq.-ft. Phoenix Bioscience Center at Copper Square, which once completed, will be the headquarters for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the International Genomics Consortium in Phoenix, AZ
• a 120,000-sq.-ft., ground-up genomic research center for The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, MD

Along with its work in the west, DPR’s mid-Atlantic region is seeing a rise in biotech activity, especially in and around the northern part of the state and particularly in bio-defense work, said Herman Diebler of DPR. “There’s a lot going on in Prince William and Loudoun Counties, and Maryland’s Montgomery County, already one of the ‘hot beds’ of bioscience in the country, continues to plan for long-term growth in the bioscience arena.”

Diebler added that over the last month, the mid-Atlantic office has experienced a rise in activity with the award of four new biotech projects, including a fermentation and patch manufacturing facility for Iomai; a two-floor buildout of laboratories, a Biological Level Three (BL-3) suite and fermentation area for The Center for Advanced Genomics (TCAG); a 5,000-sq.-ft. fit-out of a Serology Lab and PCR suites for BioReliance; and a buildout for American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), a global nonprofit bioresource center that provides biological products, technical services and educational programs.

A “Grrreaat” Project for TIGR

DPR’s mid-Atlantic office is also in the midst of building a four-story Pathogen Functional Resource Center for TIGR, the fifth building located on the existing campus in Rockville, MD. In addition to the shell, the project features the interior buildout of Biological Level Two (BL-2) wet laboratories, dry laboratories, administrative support offices and an 8,000-sq.-ft. data center, as well as site improvements, an expansion of the existing on-site storm water management pond and a 400-plus vehicle parking lot.

With a scheduled completion set for December 2004, one of the biggest challenges the project team has faced has been the severe east coast weather.

“Shortly after we broke ground, we had record snowfall, and so far this year, we’ve also had more than 200 percent of our average rainfall, which broke a record set back in 1902,” said Brian Gracz of DPR. “To the team’s credit, we haven’t let the weather set us back, but rather, we’ve been finding ways to re-sequence work to meet the project deadline.”

DPR has been saving time by “building from the inside out” and completing what Gracz noted as a considerable amount of interior MEP work before the exterior skin. The project’s superintendent, Steve Slater, has also been nicknamed “Rainman” as a result of his expertise in pouring and finishing concrete while it is raining that has helped keep the project moving forward.

Another innovative aspect of the project is the unique way in which the curtain wall was installed. According to Gracz, the new TIGR building will be “one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in the area.” Designed by architect Leo A. Daly, the south elevation includes a 200-ft.-long curtain wall that is approximately three stories tall and features 11 different colors of glass to mimic a DNA sequencing printout. By having sections of the curtain wall pre-fabricated in a shop and shipped to the site as one “massive” 37-ft. by 5-ft. section at a time, DPR completed installation in an aggressive eight days.

“Now that we’ve wrapped up the curtain wall, our next challenge will be permitting,” said Gracz. “The building is currently split so that it requires five different permits, and we’ll be turning over sections of the buildings while keeping construction going on other floors. We’re working closely with county officials and anticipate a successful, on-time delivery.”