Compliance

  • New Approaches to Chemical Safety in Research Labs

    11-14-2018

    Laboratories that handle potentially hazardous or flammable chemicals present a unique challenge for facilities managers charged with providing a safe work environment for students, faculty, and researchers. Jonathan Eisenberg, a fire protection engineer and associate principal in the Boston office of the global engineering and consulting firm Arup, has identified a number of focus areas, ranging from items you might expect (using the appropriate fire suppression methods), to those you might overlook (ensuring that the humidity level is high enough so that people don’t generate sparks from static electricity). It’s important for facilities managers to understand each of the potential risks and to take steps to mitigate them with careful planning, adherence to basic fire safety principles, and the application of recently developed tools and techniques.

  • UpCodes AI Checks BIM Models for Code Compliance

    7-5-2018

    UpCodes released a software plugin in June of 2018 that checks BIM models for code compliance errors.

  • Consulting the Experts: Pressing Issues in Animal and Biocontainment Facilities

    12-13-2017

    In the concluding Open Forum/Town Hall session of Tradeline’s Facility Strategies for Animal Research and Biocontainment conference, moderator Derek Westfall, president of Tradeline, and subject matter commentators, Mark Corey with Flad Architects and Tiffini Lovelace wi

  • Choosing the Most Suitable Standby Power Source for Research Facilities

    8-23-2017

    Bigger is not always better when it comes to generators and their distribution systems.

  • Continuous Mission Alignment with Facility Design Prevents Operational Failures

    1-20-2016

    Complex technology, expanding program, and increasingly specialized and segmented roles and responsibilities often create a disconnect in the process of designing and building sophisticated facilities.

  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilThe Plowright Building

    11-18-2015

    The Pirbright Institute’s Plowright Building transforms the standard box-in-a-box bunker-like containment facility into an interactive environment filled with natural light, expansive views through full-height windows, and extensive opportunities for collaboration.

  • ASHRAE 90.1 Standards Up the Ante for Energy Savings

    9-16-2015

    In the ever-evolving quest for sustainability, engineers and their clients may find the 2013 updates to ASHRAE 90.1, the energy code that predominantly guides the design of buildings, useful in benchmarking energy efficiency for new or remodeled laboratories and vivaria.

  • Maximizing Operating Efficiency of High-Containment Labs

    1-21-2015

    Researchers at Duke University Medical Center’s Regional Biocontainment Lab (RBL) recently organized and launched a select-agent-based study in just 30 days from inception to conclusion, thanks to the organization’s highly efficient operational framework.

  • Getting BSL-3 Labs to Pass Failure Scenario Requirements

    12-3-2014

    Regulatory requirements for using directional airflow as the primary method of containment in BSL-3 labs is a simple concept, however the engineering and controls required for today’s facilities present an array of challenges when it comes to conducting “failure scenario” tests during commissioni

  • Addressing Biosafety Regulations with Risk Assessment and Verification Planning

    11-5-2014

    Using a verification planning process to meet current regulations—for directional airflow, atmospheric pressure reference, containment barriers, and other common compliance measures—with solutions based on risk analysis and standard operating procedures (SOPs), takes a project through planning an