Creative Strategies for Common Obstacles

Michael Schaadt, PGAV Architects
Kevin Brettman, JE Dunn Construction

Aging office space and underutilized areas have been transformed into an energizing and efficient combination of modular laboratory and open, collaborative space. The entire area was reconfigured to draw in more natural light, increase systems efficiency, allow transparency into the laboratory space and allow staff to draw closer together.

Project Goals:

• Increased utilization efficiency and laboratory bench E.L.F.
• Reduced operational costs
• Increased research flexibility and ability to adapt more easily to changing research needs
• Increased laboratory safety
• A paradigm shift to a collaborative working environment
• An environment which is a visible reflection of the high-tech research being performed at the institute.
• LEED Certification
  

Obstacles:

• It was determined that existing equipment would not be changed, including a cumbersome physical plant with multiple stand-alone mechanical systems.
• Multiple infrastructure improvements were necessary, but not yet being addressed .
• Renovations occurred on the middle floor of a three-story building, with floors above and below occupied.
• The existing building envelope allowed for excess infiltration.
• The budget for renovating the desired square footage was very limited.

Project Achievements:

Construction of additional new and operationally efficient laboratories in Spencer allows MRI to incrementally decommission older, inefficient laboratories in Kimball. Upgrading Kimball's infrastructure for increased administrative use and Spencer for increased laboratory use is a cost-effective strategy for extending the useable life of the existing buildings and reducing operating costs.

The team first determined one of the simplest ways to improve efficiency throughout the facility was to replace the single-pane steel windows. All windows in the Kimball and Spencer buildings were replaced with thermally broken aluminum windows with high efficiency glass. Exterior walls at all areas being renovated are furred out, with 1½ of rigid insulation added.

All newly renovated laboratories are equipped with low-flow fume hoods, and variable volume HVAC controls. Transparent partition walls between the laboratory and administrative spaces also gives MRI visual access to the research while marketing to new clients, as well as allowing a great deal of daylight to flow through the space.

A modular laboratory plan fit efficiently into the existing building structure, allowing each laboratory bay to take advantage of the existing window placement. Flexibility was planned into the services provided in the hoods. In some labs, flexible casework is provided, with services in overhead service carriers.

Biographies:

Micahel Schaadt, LEED® AP, AIA, is a principal with PGAV Architects, a leading architecture and planning firm specializing in science research and education. Mike has been leading the design of science research and education facilities throughout the Midwest for 20 years. His design experience encompasses a diverse range of project types and a continuous exploration of emerging trends in interdisciplinary research and academic science education. Recent notable projects include work at Midwest Research Institute, The University of Oklahoma's Stephenson Life Science Research Center, Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute, The Stowers Institute for Medical Research and The University of Missouri's new Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. Mike is a graduate of the University of Kansas.

Kevin Brettman, has been involved in the planning, cost estimating, construction, commissioning, and qualification of life sciences, research, and biotech facilities for the past 26 years. He is the director of life sciences for JE Dunn Construction.

Project types include BSL-3 and BSL-4 suites, cGMP manufacturing, vivarium construction, and chemistry and biology laboratories. He is the author of "CM Partnering Agreements Improve Value & Quality" which appeared in R&D Magazine's 2005 Lab Design Handbook, has been published in Pharmaceutical Engineering and was conference leader for the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE's) Research Facilities: Latest Trends Conference in 2006. Kevin is a member of ISPE, a director of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, and a member of the Life Sciences Advisory Council for the Kansas City Area Development Council.

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