"There are many issues that have to be talked about very early on," cautions Clayton Halliday, associate director of architects and engineers at UC Davis. "We think it is important to document all costs and reveal them to the decision makers on the campus so they know what they are getting into. Cost is a huge issue on our campus, and the problem is compounding as we build more of these facilities."

UC Davis is using BSL-3 labs in many fields. Scientists are researching infectious diseases such as the West Nile virus, plague, brucellosis, and hantavirus, as well as non-indigenous exotic pests and plant pathogens.

Thurman Diagnostic Lab, for example, has become one of the core labs for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, a network of federal and state resources intended to provide rapid response to animal health emergencies such as foot and mouth disease. The network also is tasked with the rapid detection and reporting of pathogens that might have been intentionally introduced through bioterrorism.

UC Davis is also involved in supporting California&'s multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry which is threatened by the introduction of a new plant pathogen about once every 60 days. The University built its new Contained Research Facility—with BSL-3 greenhouses and adjacent labs—because federal and state laws require that non-indigenous plant pests be studied in BSL-3 conditions.

"Prior to 9/11 we felt there was a shortage of BSL-3 space," says Halliday. "After 9/11, when a lot of toxins went on the select agent list, our need for BSL-3 space became critical overnight. We have been scrambling for the past few years to bring on new facilities to meet the needs."

Plan Early to Avoid Sticker Shock

One of the most surprising expenses of a BSL-3 facility is the operating and maintenance cost, says Halliday.

"UC Davis receives approximately $9 per foot per year to operate and maintain a typical campus building," says Halliday. "The O&M costs of a BSL-3 facility are more than three times that, including utilities, janitorial, and planned maintenance. You need to understand that early, and plan for it.

"Most universities are falling behind on getting maintenance and operating money for their buildings in general," he continues. "BSL-3 facilities cannot tolerate deferred maintenance, but few institutions have budgeted for this operating criterion."

One way to mitigate costs upfront is to know early in the process exactly what the building will be used for, and to then develop standard operating procedures and protocols before you design the facility. That information can drive some of the design details.

For example, researchers in some buildings at UC Davis are required to shower and change their clothes before they enter a lab, as well as when they leave, because they need to prevent outside contaminants from entering their lab as much as they need to prevent pathogens in the lab from escaping. In other labs, such as those in the Contained Research Facility, the protocol is to contain the pathogens inside the lab, but there is less concern about the lab samples being contaminated from the outside environment. That kind of information determines the number and placement of showers and lockers, the placement of autoclaves, and the movement of animals in and out of the lab.

"It is possible to over-design a BSL-3 facility," says Halliday.

A Team Effort

A lot can be learned from other facilities, and the best way to learn it is to see it in person. Include users, the design team, and stakeholders in these off-site tours, and develop detailed three-dimensional computer modeling and animations of complex and unique interior spaces. Modeling paths of travel for people, animals, materials, and waste streams gives users an opportunity to see critical details better than on a two-dimensional plan.

"Visiting other facilities was an invaluable experience for our project management team," says Halliday. "It gave designers a chance to spend time one on one with the users, learn what their concerns are, and, at the same time, see the space, not just talk about it."

Halliday also recommends that institutions develop a formal commissioning plan as early as possible during planning or early design phases. That process should include users, stakeholders, and the entire design team.

"UC Davis has created a position within its A&E and O&M departments to specialize in the commissioning and recommissioning of containment facilities—which is all conducted in-house7#151;and the training of O&M staff," he says.

The project will proceed much more smoothly if the design team has relevant BSL-3 experience, and if the members of the team—including architects, laboratory planners, structural engineers, MEP engineers, and cost estimators—have worked together on previous BSL-3 projects.

"It's important that they work well together, know how to communicate with each other, and understand each other's needs, because this is all about the details," says Halliday.

The Laws Dictate the Design

Since 9/11 and the introduction of the USA Patriot Act, it has become particularly critical that designers, engineers, and researchers understand all the laws and regulations regarding the organisms that are assigned to BSL-3 laboratories. Many of the codes and regulations overlap and some contradict each other, cautions Halliday; sometimes it is not clear which jurisdictional authority has the final word.

"We had a lot of discussions on our campus about who has jurisdiction over fire, life safety, and environmental health and safety codes," he says. "It is a constant learning experience, especially with moving targets for codes."

Even the wording of the codes can cause confusion. In building code parlance, "hazardous material" typically refers to fuels and other chemicals that are corrosive, flammable, or explosive. The California Building Code requires educational labs with hazardous materials to be separated by one-hour construction, meaning it would take a fire one hour to penetrate the interior walls. That code necessitates heavier drywall, fire-rated doors and frames, and dampered ductwork, all of which are more costly than standard construction.

When UC Davis was planning its genome and biomedical sciences facility, it included labs that would house "biohazards," not flammable hazards, which initiated a semantic discussion about the meaning of the word "hazard" as it pertains to the building code.

Another conflict arose between fire and life safety codes and EH&S codes. Several of UC Davis' recent buildings have their required fire exits passing through airlocks. The airlocks are in an antechamber between a lab and an unregulated space such as a hallway; when one door is open, the other is automatically locked to prevent pathogens from leaking out of the lab. In an emergency, if one of the doors gets jammed open, the others will not unlock, and someone could get locked inside during a fire. The designers installed a panic button to override the airlock mechanism and allow two doors to be open at once. That, however, conflicts with the building code, which stipulates that a person must be able to open the emergency exit door with one motion; pressing the panic button, then opening the door constitutes two motions.

"We had to install another separate exit door," explains Halliday.

Keeping all campus stakeholders involved in the project from pre-design through completion is one way to avoid confusion about conflicting jurisdictions. Establish a clear understanding of roles, responsibilities, and authorities on campus, including the campus biosafety officer, veterinarian, fire marshal, and police; the facility quarantine officer; and the O&M representative.

Because it is so time-consuming to hammer out these fine details, it is critical to keep change orders to a minimum, stresses Halliday.

"Decisions need to be made quickly from the field, because construction delays cost a lot of money," he explains. "In the haste of trying to avoid delays, a serious safety issue might be overlooked. I heard of one project where, through a change order, a drain was re-routed and ended up on the wrong side of a containment wall."

Learning From Experience

To shorten the learning curve on each new project, Halliday and the UC Davis managers capture data collected regularly from the users of their facilities: The campus biosafety officer has compiled—and frequently updates—a certification checklist; the BSL-3 managers meet regularly to share information on lessons learned; O&M has developed campus-wide standard specifications for commissioning, controls, and alarm systems; an in-house engineering group works exclusively on quality control and has developed several quality control checklists; a cost estimator keeps historical data regarding capital improvement costs; and they all are attempting to gather operations and maintenance costs. On new projects, they review the plans several times during the course of design, and go through a post-project review of all the change orders to see if there are patterns.

"Finally, we try to do as much continuing education and training as possible for the folks who are involved in these facilities," says Halliday. "As Sandy Kelly, the manager of our containment facility, says, 'If you are a user, be informed and involved. Keep a database and document everything.'"

By Lisa Wesel

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