A number of labs for biological research needed to be upgraded to adhere to new market demands, and also because they were veering on being worn out. A new pipe bridge for ventilation between two buildings as well as a great deal of piping across the ceiling needed to be rebuilt – and all of this in a very limited space. LBP Engineering designed the new test labs and were also in charge of coordinating technical disciplines such as HVAC, BMS, FMS, and EHS.

Explosive powders are handled in the new facilities, presenting a very real hazard, and the project team also had to consider a number of other chemical issues. So safety first. Furthermore, LBP needed to consider the daily wear and tear of the labs and their life cycle cost to ascertain that the proper materials were used. A badly painted door may give off particles that can contaminate a brand new clean room. In essence, the task was all about stringency and cleanliness.

“Is this or that material component suited for cleaning with aceton? Did we pick the right design so that different machines can be cleaned properly? Are they accessible? These were the types of considerations we had. Everything needs to be easily managed and maintained. You have to keep in mind that actual people need to have access every day for cleaning and what not. This means that a project like this must be feasibly built and easily usable,” explains LBP project manager, Steffen Højmann.

The first few months of the user involvement phase were spent on quizzing the future lab users on their production flow, procedures, and wishes. LBP assessed their input in light of health authority requirements as well as other technical specification from building managers, chemists, process operators, and others.

“We went deep – to a level of detail like how to move a bucket from here to there. For that very issue, we actually ended up constructing a particular trolley. This shows how important the user involvement phase is. We need to ensure that all operators feel comfortable in knowing that nothing will fall over their heads and that everything is designed to fit with their specific needs. That’s what I call respecting the job at hand,” says Steffen Højmann.