Maine Molecular Quality Controls\u2019<\/a>\u00a0new facility are patterned in the twisting shape of a human DNA strand\u2014a clue to the life science work underway inside. Behind these walls, the new 16,000-square-foot building is home to Saco, Maine\u2019s Maine Molecular (MMQCI) team and their design and production of molecular quality controls. Used in inherited disease testing, infectious disease detection, and pharmacogenetics\u2014the study of how genes affect a person\u2019s response to medications\u2014the demand for molecular controls is on a steady rise.<\/p>\nAlthough experts in the quality assurance of laboratory medicine, when it came time to build their first custom laboratory facility, MMQCI was also in need of expert quality control\u2014for the design and construction of their project. Consigli\u2019s Portland-based construction team met this need with a project delivery approach that included in-depth pre-construction services featuring the analysis and redesign of both the building\u2019s clean room mechanical systems and its exterior structural system. The results? Time and money savings, and improved building energy efficiency.<\/p>\n
Consigli\u2019s Senior Project Manager Chad Whalen describes how the team began the construction quality control process, \u201cWe knew one way to be in control of the complexity of a project like this\u2014with its need for certified clean room environments\u2014is to co-locate the whole team, the architects from SMRT Inc., their engineering team, our construction management team and our client\u2019s team, during the pre-construction phase, when we can scrutinize and contribute to the building design, to figure out the best way to build it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While \u201ccollaboration\u201d might sound like a buzz word, its benefits are invaluable when you\u2019re talking about complex construction, especially for technically sophisticated laboratory facilities. Says Whalen, \u201cIt might sound obvious\u2014having the whole team in one physical location\u2014but it isn\u2019t an approach that many CMs use, and we knew this was the way to go. It gave us the best opportunity to understand each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another advantage? Whalen explains, \u201cBecause this was MMQCI\u2019s first construction project, it was only natural that they\u2019d have a bit of a learning curve, and this helped them with that. We worked together in our Portland office\u2014we\u2019d simply look across the table to the MMQCI scientists, or the architects, work through questions, and make decisions. It was a great working environment between us, the design team, and the owner because we all confided in each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
MMQCI\u2019s core project concern, to build a lab facility that had, outside of human error, no chance of causing cross-contamination from one lab to another, directed much of the work the co-located team did together. An important result from the pre-construction phase was redesigning the HVAC system to create a budget savings for the owner and at the same time ensure all room pressure relationships could be maintained.<\/p>\n
Whalen says, \u201cWe kept looking at the HVAC design\u2014we knew there had to be another way to design it, and reduce the construction cost. And we got there\u2014with the clean rooms\u2019 HVAC system redesign, MMQCI got the laboratory environment they wanted, with reduced energy costs, and we cut the construction budget by about $400,000 at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another valuable result of the team\u2019s pre-construction services was the redesign of the building\u2019s exterior structural design\u2014changing it from a steel structure, to one built using insulated-concrete forms (ICF). This reduced construction cost and building time, while increasing the building\u2019s future energy efficiency.<\/p>\n
Whalen explains other advantages of an ICF structural system, \u201cIn an effort to get the facility built as quickly as possible, we proposed ICF for the exterior structural wall. And, because we suggested this structural system change early in design, it was simple to incorporate. It allowed us to build the foundation and the exterior walls, while we were finalizing the buy-out phase for the project\u2019s subcontractors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the building had been an all-steel structure, we wouldn\u2019t have been able to begin on-site for as much as eight-to-ten more weeks\u2019 time, since once structural steel is ordered, it can take that long to be fabricated and delivered. Using ICF also allowed us to enclose the building sooner, getting it weather-tight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now up and running, the new facility includes multiple manufacturing rooms featuring certified clean rooms using Class 2 bio-safety cabinets, laminar flow hoods and the pre-fabricated Plascore modular clean room wall system; as well as a packaging center, loading docks and offices. A milestone in this life science company\u2019s evolution, the new building marks a transition from MMQCI\u2019s start-up phase, to a well-respected producer of high caliber, molecular quality control products.<\/p>\n
And now? Thanks to their new home base, MMQCI has quadrupled its production in response to the increased need\u2014and has room to grow.<\/p>\n
Baxalta\u2019s New cGMP Warehouse: Good Construction Practices<\/h2>\n When Baxalta, a global biotechnology company focused on serving patients with rare diseases, asked Consigli\u2019s life science construction team to expand a Massachusetts\u2019 cGMP pharmaceutical manufacturing facility to enhance its supply chain capabilities, the team, led by Senior Project Manager Erick Lacy, was ready.<\/p>\n
The term \u201ccGMP\u201d\u2014meaning \u201cCurrent Good Manufacturing Practice\u201d\u2014refers to the guidelines set by regulatory agencies that oversee food, beverage and active pharmaceutical products. In this case, to build Baxalta\u2019s cGMP facility renovation, Consigli\u2019s construction teams brought their knowledge of specialized instrumentation\u00a0environments and industry regulations, as well as their commitment to whole team partnering. And, in anticipation of the project\u2019s complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing work, Consigli contracted with the M\/E\/P subcontractors to have a design-assist role during pre-construction, while the renovation design was being finalized.<\/p>\n
Lacy explained, \u201cWe had our subs\u2019 design-assist activities include the cold rooms, fire protection, and the mechanical and electrical systems. These trades performed early assessments of existing conditions and coordinated closely with Baxalta\u2019s facilities team. This involvement minimized impacts from unforeseen conditions during construction, resulted in no interruptions to their business activities and allowed for a seamless relocation of their warehouse operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
A central client requirement: build the expansion of this 6,000-square-foot facility while the facility continued to operate. The renovation, designed by Cambridge-based architects and engineers CRB, included a cGMP warehouse, a quality control raw material sampling lab, two 24-foot-by-27-foot validated cold rooms and a high purity water system. It also required the relocation of the electrical panels serving the warehouse and the air handling units, new rooftop units, warehouse racking systems and a generator. For ongoing operations management the facility includes a fully integrated building management (BMS) and a qualified building management systems (QBMS).<\/p>\n
To address the challenge of mitigating construction so the facility could continue its work, Consigli\u2019s team needed to understand the existing facility and its operations in minute detail before construction got underway. To assure this, the team conducted existing conditions assessments, and identified process piping, structural elements, and M\/E\/P systems that could not be relocated. In conjunction with CRB\u2019s design team and the utility companies, the logistics for the relocation of the facility\u2019s primary electrical, gas, and water services were planned. And, to increase schedule efficiency, an early demolition phase cleared away an existing vivarium while the project was still in design.<\/p>\n
For a glimpse of the complexity a project of this kind entails, you need only look at the temporary power plan that Project Superintendent Larry Maggio developed. Because Baxalta\u2019s facility runs 24\/7\/365, it was not possible to ever completely shut-down the power, instead a plan was developed for a\u00a0temporary power source to be in place, while new systems were connected to the existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n
To plan for this 18-hour period of temporary power Maggio and the team ran a three-month process with senior Baxalta management staff. The identified all that needed to be taken into account to plan for the temporary power, to ensure there were no interruptions to Baxalta\u2019s operations or security systems.<\/p>\n
Consigli team member Cory Pinheiro described this 18-hour \u201cday,\u201d \u201cWe worked in shifts for 18 hours, beginning at 5 am, running to mid-day the next day. It was absolutely imperative that we kept clean air flowing, that we maintained power, that we maintained the pressurization for all these spaces since the site was an active manufacturing facility and our client needed us to maintain power to their manufacturing equipment for production purposes. The logistics of how we do what we do always takes in-depth planning, and for our life science clients, this is truly magnified.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Keeping operations humming while construction is underway can be complex. And when your business is life science, you need a partner who appreciates both the complexity, and the absolute necessity, of keeping your facilities running around-the-clock. Keeping clean room environments operational at the highest standards, and facilities up-and-running while renovations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Our Role: To Keep Your Innovation Moving Forward - Consigli Construction<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n