Colorado-Real-Estate-Journal_352916

Page 24 — Health Care, Senior & Life Sciences Quarterly — July 2023 www.crej.com LIFE SCIENCES: LAB VACCUMS R esearch-and-development labs are complex environ- ments. They are home to various equipment and util- ities, all of which must work together cohesively. When required in a lab, the vacuum system is an important component to discuss and design to meet users’ require- ments. Unlike a vacuum for cleaning, a lab vacuum provides airflow to essential equipment and proce- dures. Precision is key; sometimes, the vacuum is used to manipulate material at a cellular level, requiring highly controlled suction, so care- ful planning is vital for successful vacuum systems. When designing a new lab or renovating an existing one, building owners should work with their architects and engineers to consider the pros and cons of several types of systems. n Whole-building systems. Whole- building vacuum systems initially sound like a great idea: They have one vacuum pump that serves the entire building and is hidden to minimize noise. There is only one pump to monitor and maintain. However, if it fails, the whole facil- ity may be without a vacuum. The lab’s staff must also be dili- gent about monitoring what the vacuum is used for in each lab. Occasionally, chemicals and debris are inadvertently siphoned into the tubes, posing concerns when labs use chemi- cals that can react with one another if they meet at the pump. This also can cause issues with the pump filter, which needs to be cleaned peri- odically and may become hazardous for the staff. Generally, a single pump for an entire building will restrict the sys- tem’s flexibility unless the pump is oversized. Locating a single pump in an isolated location helps address noise but will require a larger pump to deal with pressure loss over long pipe runs to the point of use. If owners consider a whole-building system, they should understand the full range of their facility’s vacuum functions while accounting for future uses. n One system per lab. Separate vacuum systems for each lab reduce the concern about chemicals mixing at the pump because individual labs can more easily monitor their chemi- cal usage than the entire building’s. Pump problems are also isolated to one lab space and will not impact the whole facility. If owners need to upgrade the pump in the future, they can do so on a case-by-case basis rather than installing a new facility- wide system. In this scenario, the pumps are usually installed in small closets near the labs to minimize pipe runs. The owner must consider the pump’s noise and heat generation when designing the closet. This usu- ally requires acoustic insulation and an exhaust fan to prevent the pump from overheating. One disadvantage of having a sin- gle vacuum for an entire lab is that the owner must ensure adequate suction pressure for all users. This may require distinct types of valves to regulate airflow and prevent a significant pressure drop at one loca- tion when new users open valves in other locations on the same system. n Point-of-use systems. Point-of-use Optimal performance: Choosing lab vacuum system T he life sciences commercial real estate market is boom- ing in multiple markets across the United States. Peaks exist in places like Boston, Houston, South Florida, San Francisco, San Diego and oth- ers. The Denver-Boulder corridor is among those primary markets and is attracting many construction firms to the life sciences space. Life sciences construction is attractive for many reasons, not the least of which is the higher cost per square foot associated with these projects. Second, while venture cap- ital-funded life sciences construc- tion has slowed, projects funded by pharmaceutical companies have continued on pace. Laboratory work can be a steady market in a period of economic vola- tility. Lastly, the Boulder-Denver area is a draw due to the pipeline of qualified scientists and the quality of life associated with living there. These local and national life sci- ences sector indi- cators are certainly ringing true here. The bulk of our life sciences projects are interior renovations/reconfigurations of existing space, mostly office, into advanced laboratories and centers for research. We have found that while these are technically tenant improvement proj- ects, the technol- ogy being installed in the new facili- ties requires a dedicated team, knowledgeable in the requirements to support the advanced labora- tory functions. Our teams is reconfiguring an existing office space into a plant-based medical research facility for Enveda Biosci- ences, which involves conversion of a two-story office space into multiple laboratories with support- ing services. Often on these types of projects, the structural system of the building isn’t sufficient to sup- port the mechanical requirements of a laboratory. At the Enveda proj- ect, the building structure had to be upgraded to support the weight of new rooftop units designed to provide the air flow required for the labs. In four areas, 50-foot steel beams have been installed to carry the weight of the RTUs. Another common challenge is lim- ited ceiling room to accommodate mechanical HVAC systems, vent exhaust hoods and any medical gas lines. This challenge presented itself on the Enveda project, where the ceiling height in one lab wasn’t tall enough to accommodate the biosafety cabinet (like a vent hood but used for chemical storage) and a required dehumidifier condensate line. Working closely with the cli- ent and design team, a solution was devised where a soffit was built to house the condensate line below the level of the cabinet, but routed in a way that allows for installation and eventual removal of the cabinet. Although the County of Boulder life-safety systems requirements are stringent, there are some addi- tional necessities for life sciences projects, depending on the kind of gases being used. Oxygen sensors, hydrogen detection systems and additional sensors to detect gases being used in the laboratory are also required. In addition, while most office spaces require a backup gen- erator to support life-safety systems, the ones installed for life sciences spaces must be able to support the mechanical load requirements rather than just meeting occupancy standards. Life sciences projects require intense levels of coordination not only with the design teams, but also with the client, as much of the lab equipment tends to be owner-pro- vided. For example, on the Enveda project, the team had to devise a plan for a 6,000-gallon nitrogen storage tank. Working with the cli- ent to understand how the nitrogen would be used, the team recom- mended building a containment structure outside the building. The tank was installed adjacent to the building horizontally to minimize view obstruction. Another unusual approach the team has devised involves the installation of four 16-foot-long fume hoods for the chemistry lab, which were designed to reside on the second floor. Those hoods, and all lab casework, are too large to be taken via freight elevator Lab work holds steady during economic volatility Michael Jelinek Senior project architect and associate, EUA LIFE SCIENCES: CONSTRUCTION A lab at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in Madison, Wisconsin. The vented cabinet below the fume hood contains the lab’s vacuum. Careful planning and close collaboration with architects and engineers will ensure that a lab’s vacuum system is optimized for suc- cessful operations. Anne Brummett Project manager, Howell Construction Kevin Field Senior superintendent, Howell Construction Please see Brummett, Page 25 Please see Jelinek Page 25 A soffit was built to house the condensate line below the level of the cabinet.