Biocontainment

“Smart labs” and the Internet of Things—with sensors and actuators that gather information about the lab environment and adjust its systems according to that data—have been around for a while. But a new wave of construction is allowing designers to incorporate smart concepts from the ground up, providing sensitive and responsive ventilation and airflow systems to a newly COVID-sensitized lab marketplace. Architects and engineers are working together to create flexible systems that respond in real time to conditions inside a research lab. “In a nutshell, we would like a smart building to operate in correlation with its occupancy and utilization,” says Tom Smith, president and CEO of 3Flow.

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) opened in May of 2023 in Manhattan, Kan. Enabling the rapid detection and mitigation of animal and human pathogens, the $1.25 billion complex provides state-of-the-art biocontainment labs supported by robust ventilation and decontamination systems. Sited on 48 acres adjacent to Kansas State University, the 708,000-sf development provides enhanced diagnostic and research capabilities to protect the country from emerging, zoonotic, and foreign animal diseases.

Stellenbosch University opened the $66 million Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) in Cape Town in April of 2023. Located on the Tygerburg Campus, the 354,000–sf complex leverages an open design to foster active collaboration between researchers, staff, and students as they investigate the diseases that have the greatest impact on South Africa. Housing the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, this high-performance research hub features a BSL-3 laboratory spanning 6,500 sf, the largest on the continent.

Dallas County Health and Human Services is planning to construct the $52 million Public Health Laboratory in the growing Southwestern Medical District. Designed by Page, the 75,000-sf structure will provide BSL-3 environments for the detection and mitigation of infectious disease agents and toxins. Centralizing lab services previously dispersed in several locations, the state-of-the-art building will utilize robust ventilation systems to ensure the safe handling of potentially hazardous and pathogenic materials.

Emory University opened the $313 million Health Science Research Building II in March of 2023 in Atlanta. Designed by HOK, the 350,000-sf facility provides world-class research environments for a range of specialties including biomedical engineering, cardiovascular medicine, oncology, inflammation, immunology, and emerging infections.

Moderna will break ground in mid-2023 on a £150 million complex for the creation of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics in the United Kingdom. Located on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) will comprise two 145,000-sf buildings. The Drug Substance Manufacturing Unit will leverage next-generation automation systems to produce high volumes of vaccine materials, accompanied by an early-stage R&D hub that will support clinical trials.

The Hurley Group has transformed an existing office building in New Haven to create the Elm City Bioscience Center. Designed by Svigals + Partners, the adaptive reuse project offers over 100,000 sf of leasable research space for startup companies. Featuring BSL-1 and BSL-2 environments, the eight-story biotech hub provides lab suites with adjacent work areas, meeting rooms, and break rooms. Advanced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems enable the structure’s 12,000-sf floor plates to easily adapt to changing requirements and configurations.

Mispro Biotech Services is building a 10,000-sf contract vivarium in Boston's Seaport District. The state-of-the-art facility will enable life science companies of all sizes to conduct preclinical drug development studies on rodents with the support of Mispro’s husbandry services, technical expertise, and regulatory compliance oversight.

The United States Congress passed Senate Bill 5002 in late 2022 to allow methods other than animal testing to be employed to establish drug efficacy and safety. Dubbed the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, the legislation supports the inclusion of cell-based assays, computer models, and microphysiological systems such as organ chips in preclinical testing operations. The bill also rescinds a stipulation that animal studies must be used when seeking a license for a biological product that is biosimilar or interchangeable with another product.

Pfizer is expanding its Chesterfield campus with the construction of a $60 million addition to support vaccine research and development. Providing leading-edge labs, offices, and support spaces, the three-story, 37,000-sf project will adjoin an existing 261,000-sf facility that opened in 2019. A two-story bridge with a covered plaza will link the completed structure to the rest of the 31-acre site. 

The New York City Economic Development Corporation began construction on the $454 million NYC Public Health Laboratory in June of 2022. Strategically sited adjacent to Harlem Hospital, the 240,000-sf building will provide the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with sophisticated infrastructure for the detection and mitigation of infectious diseases and pathogens.

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has acquired an existing life sciences facility to house the Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training. Sited adjacent to the school's campus in Albany, New York, the 154,000-sf structure is uniquely designed for biomedical research with over 60,000 sf of BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratory space. The five-story building will be renovated to create dedicated gene therapy labs, mammalian cell labs, teaching wet labs, biopharmaceutical pilot plants, and fermentation and downstream processing facilities.

The Sixth Edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) manual emphasizes the importance of risk assessment and management, communication among all stakeholders, comprehensive procedures to report accidents and exposures, and a new focus on biocontainment of pathogens affecting agricultural animals. First published in 1984, the BMBL still serves as the cornerstone of biosafety practices for the safe conduct of research throughout the world.

North Carolina State University dedicated the $160.2 million Plant Sciences Building in Raleigh in April of 2022. Designed by Flad Architects, the 185,000-sf facility enables academic, government, and industry researchers to develop innovative solutions for global agricultural challenges.

Southern Research will begin construction in mid-2022 on an $84 million biotechnology center in Birmingham, Ala. Providing crucial biocontainment capacity for the study of infectious diseases, the 80,000-sf building will enhance pandemic preparedness efforts with BSL-3 laboratories spanning 7,500 sf. The five-level project will also include structural biology labs, high-throughput screening facilities, and a STEM education center.