Fast-tracked Ground-up Cell Therapy Facility
Cell Therapy Facility | Boston, Massachusetts
The new Cell Therapy Facility on the customer’s operating manufacturing campus is a ground-up approximately 244,000-sq.-ft. multi-level facility. It has initial functional areas of Cell Therapy Processing including isolation, cell processing, filling and cryopreservation. There are also quality testing and release labs and administrative support areas. The facility also houses support operations for media prep, kitting, gowning, apheresis receipt, warehouse, and loading dock. The process equipment includes wave bioreactors, high purity water system and process gases.
Facility
Cleanrooms with a classification of controlled-Non-Classified (CNC), grade 8, and grade 7 were constructed using wall and ceiling panel systems. On one level the cleanrooms have a structural interstitial floor for MEP above and the cleanrooms on the level below utilize a walk-on cleanroom system for MEP access.
To meet the new demands of the facility, the project also included site infrastructure upgrades for increased capacity of the condenser water system, a data center within the facility as well as an expansion to a data center located adjacent to the site in an existing campus facility.
Approach
Working with the customer and Jacobs, the team developed a plan to decouple the Cold Dark Shell (CDS) of the building from the interior fit out and process design. This approach allowed the excavation, foundations, steel, cladding, roofing and vertical transportation to proceed in advance of the interior scope development. DPR was able to leverage early bid packages and mobilize the site to commence mass excavation. Achieving the bottom of excavation milestone was the first critical milestone for the project. The DPR project team and our trade partners endured one of the wettest and coldest springs in decades, coordination and scheduling of utility for the relocation of a gas line, and the onset of COVID-19 required additional protocols to maintain a safe work environment.
Schedule
The need for speed-to-market for these types of facilities is essential. Two key strategic decisions permitted the project to commence work onsite earlier than the originally planned date that set up the project for success to achieve the milestones. The first was the decision to decouple the cold dark shell design from the interior program requirement. The project team implemented a “ballroom” concept in a key area of the building which allowed the site, substructure, superstructure, and building envelope to advance through design rapidly. The second decision was the onboarding of key trades not only for the Cold Dark Shell but also the cleanroom, MEP, drywall, and process trades that drove critical path in the schedule.
Photo: Photo Courtesy of Above Summit
Result
The design and construction teams worked concurrently to ensure the building itself streamlined the flow of the various spaces. The accomplishments to deliver on time each of the project milestones are attributable to the entire project team’s commitment and tireless efforts to meet the expectations from the customer and an extraordinarily fast-track project schedule. This was all accomplished with strong commitment to a safety culture and performance and delivery of a high-quality product.
Approach
Working with the customer and Jacobs, the team developed a plan to decouple the Cold Dark Shell (CDS) of the building from the interior fit out and process design. This approach allowed the excavation, foundations, steel, cladding, roofing and vertical transportation to proceed in advance of the interior scope development. DPR was able to leverage early bid packages and mobilize the site to commence mass excavation. Achieving the bottom of excavation milestone was the first critical milestone for the project. The DPR project team and our trade partners endured one of the wettest and coldest springs in decades, coordination and scheduling of utility for the relocation of a gas line, and the onset of COVID-19 required additional protocols to maintain a safe work environment.
Schedule
The need for speed-to-market for these types of facilities is essential. Two key strategic decisions permitted the project to commence work onsite earlier than the originally planned date that set up the project for success to achieve the milestones. The first was the decision to decouple the cold dark shell design from the interior program requirement. The project team implemented a “ballroom” concept in a key area of the building which allowed the site, substructure, superstructure, and building envelope to advance through design rapidly. The second decision was the onboarding of key trades not only for the Cold Dark Shell but also the cleanroom, MEP, drywall, and process trades that drove critical path in the schedule.
Photo: Photo Courtesy of Above Summit
Result
The design and construction teams worked concurrently to ensure the building itself streamlined the flow of the various spaces. The accomplishments to deliver on time each of the project milestones are attributable to the entire project team’s commitment and tireless efforts to meet the expectations from the customer and an extraordinarily fast-track project schedule. This was all accomplished with strong commitment to a safety culture and performance and delivery of a high-quality product.