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How To Evaluate a Building for Biotech Use
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Business New Haven
11/12/2001
By: Susan Cornell
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Many companies in Connecticut's bioscience industry are building, or will need to construct, new facilities during the next three years. Biotechnology will lead the way with a 32-percent average annual growth rate for needed laboratory space is predicted. Connecticut pharmaceutical companies currently occupy nearly 3.1 million square feet of space, and project their average space expansion at eight percent - nearly 300,000 square feet in all.
These are the findings of Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE), the not-for-profit organizational center of the state's bioscience cluster. But what must the bio barons seek in their new and numerous homes?
Biomedical construction involves countless considerations. The site itself should have, at a bare minimum, adequate parking, a potential to develop a loading dock and receiving area, and a clean environmental report. The ideal site, however, has one parking space per 200 square feet of office space and one parking space for each 400 square feet of laboratory space, as well as a loading dock and receiving area with appropriate screening from the public view. The ideal site should also have a clean Phase 1 and relevant Phase 2 environmental report.
The main service utilities should have at least the following: three phase-4 wire service of 400 amperes at 480 volts per 10,000 square feet; a water supply with a two-inch meter; potential to install a structured cable system; and natural gas service in the street. In the ideal world, one would find: at least 800 amps per 10,000 square feet with potential for submetering, a water supply with a two-inch meter or equivalent for every 30,000 square feet; fiber optic cable backbone and spare conduits or cable trays, as well as natural gas service in the street.
An adequate location would be found close to a research institution or university, and have access to municipal water and sewer service. Take the location consideration a step further and the wish list would include proximity to one of the nation's leading universities. Additionally, a great-to-have would be a stable local political climate that actively supports biological research. And a location with access to municipal water and sewer for 1,500 gallons of water per day per 10,000 square feet is highly desirable.
According to the Construction Specifications Institute, the minimum building size a biomed firm would typically seek is 30,000 square feet; nice-to-have would be a 40,000 to 100,000 square foot building that is divisible to allow use by multiple tenants.
Because biotech buildings have unusual needs and requirements, the bio owner will be faced with correspondingly high costs. He or she may even experience sticker shock.
The single most expensive component is HVAC, a big-ticket item because of the hoods. Hoods require a tremendous amount of exhaust air that must be replaced. Makeup air units perform this task by taking air from the outside and then either heating it or cooling it, depending upon the needs. Further, the high amount of air going through the makeup units necessitates considerable heating and cooling capacity. And the building will need to have high ceilings in order to house these units as well as the ductwork and associated equipment.
Hand-in-hand with HVAC needs are electrical needs. The building must support the very large volume of power required by makeup units, exhaust fans and lab equipment. The building requires larger panels, larger conduits and larger wire runs.
The third big-ticket item is plumbing: Bio labs have sizable water needs for their own process reasons as well as for the conversion to deionized water. The water must be contamination-free and the deionized water must be able to be distributed throughout various areas. Water is used for cooling lab experiments as well as for washing the glassware and equipment. Conversely, neutralization or waste-treatment systems are needed to get rid of the water. Waste treatment depends on the requirements of the locality and can range from employing a simple carbon filtration or carbon packs to a more sophisticated custom-designed system.
The last of the big-ticket items is the lab furniture, the cabinetry and lab benches. A ballpark budget estimate for a lab bench is $400 per lineal foot. The benches themselves can be wooden or metal. And, there is a wide range of prices depending upon whether a simple Formica top or a more elaborate epoxy top is selected.
The building itself should be adaptable. One should attempt to locate the labs so that future additions will not disturb the original labs. And a flexible networking system is desirable. Finally, it is increasingly important to create an attractive environment to bring in and retain talented employees.
Laboratory construction typically costs $200 to $400 a square foot, compared with $100 to $125 for office space. With a typical allotment of 150 to 300 square feet per person, both the space and funding needs for construction are substantial. A simple retrofit can range from $110 to $120 per square foot.
It is important to employ a designer and a builder with experience and knowledge specific to the industry. Ongoing communication between builders and owners during construction will be critical as the building process is lengthy and, during this time, the company itself is changing. A builder must be responsive to these ever-changing needs and provide a flexible design.
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