US Facility Brings QC Lab In-House

Deliverables: A/E Design, Construction Administration

As part of its long-term strategy to expand into US markets, O’Neal’s client, a Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company, planned to open its first manufacturing facility in the US. The client acquired an existing manufacturing building that was formerly owned by a pharmaceutical packaging firm. As part of the client’s master plan for this site, they decided to renovate a portion of the facility to add a new quality control laboratory, allowing them to perform internal analytical testing for quality control in-house, as opposed to outsourcing this important function to contract manufacturers. O’Neal was selected to provide detailed design and construction administration for the facility laboratory renovations.

The project scope included design of a quality control lab for raw materials, finished goods, stability testing, and packaging, as well as office space for support staff. The O’Neal design team included an architectural firm partner to assist with the space programming and specification of laboratory casework. O’Neal coordinated and designed benchtop specialty gas distribution systems, including the distribution piping and cylinder manifolds. O’Neal also provided engineering design for the required glass washing and emergency plumbing fixtures, as well as for the power, lighting, and life safety systems.

Upon completion of the project, the client’s project manager stated that O’Neal’s technical lead “was extremely knowledgeable of the code and technical design requirements and was very responsive to issues that occurred during the construction.”

Of note: In order to reduce energy costs, O’Neal specified a dedicated variable flow makeup air system to provide sufficient air to the lab during occupied hours, while allowing the unit to partially re-circulate during unoccupied hours.