Projects Archives

DSM Biomedical – Innovation Center

Precis provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering design services for a 2,500-sf interior renovation to the existing DSM Biomedical facility in Exton, Pennsylvania. DSM is a global leader in the development of next-generation biomedical materials.

The renovation included the addition of a new Innovation Center, which serves as a common space for internal teams to meet and collaborate on developing new business by identifying new and innovative growth technologies, and to showcase DSM products to prospective clients.

Images © Don Pearse Photographers, Inc.

Fruh Packaging, Inc. – U.S. Expansion

Fruh Packaging, Inc. opened its new, state-of-the-art production facility in Exton, Pennsylvania. Früh Verpackungstechnik, located in Fehraltorf, Switzerland, is a leading Swiss industrial company that develops solutions for complex packaging needs. This expansion into the U.S. marked a significant milestone, supporting the company’s contract packaging services for medical devices and replicating the high standards and comprehensive service catalog available at the Switzerland location.

Working closely with the teams at Fruh and developer, Hankin Group, Precis assisted in designing the new 42,900-sf facility, with an additional 21,100 sf planned for future expansion. The facility includes an ISO 7 primary packaging cleanroom, ISO 8 final rinsing and material airlock and gowning rooms, and a CNC incoming inspection and final packaging area. The cleanrooms feature modular construction with a viewing corridor and ample exterior daylight.

WuXi Advanced Therapies (ATU)’s R400 Testing Laboratory Building

A wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, WuXi Advanced Therapies (ATU)’s R400 Testing Laboratory Building marks the company’s fourth facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Named for its location at 400 Rouse Boulevard, the LEED Gold Certified R400 includes 140,000 sf of laboratories, offices, and GMP warehouse space to enhance the company’s contract testing, development, and manufacturing organization (CTDMO) business model. The design and construction project involved tailoring the landlord’s base core and shell and designing a phased interior fit-out that incorporates targeted flexibility into building systems infrastructure, testing laboratory design, and accommodations for future growth.

Phase 1 of the project included the first-floor lobby; conference rooms; and virology, mycoplasma, and microbiology laboratories; along with the warehouse and facility support spaces.

Phase 2 fit-out the entire second floor and parts of the first and third floors with molecular biology, quality control (QC), quality assurance (QA), environmental monitoring, and stability laboratories; and administrative areas including offices, conference rooms, huddle rooms, phone booths, and a kitchen/breakroom.

Precis provided evaluation and detailed design of complete mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and fire protection systems. Key components of the project included incoming site utility demand and locations, and MEP systems distribution. Location of rooftop mechanical equipment, including air-handling units, coordination of scope and installation of site-based elements, such as concrete pads for outdoor tanks (CO2, and LN2), emergency generators, and transformers were also part of the project’s scope. Engineering features of the project included centralized mechanical systems via rooftop dunnage, highly efficient building systems to support energy efficiency, and balanced vertical and horizontal distribution.

Images © Jeffrey Totaro Photographer

Hankin Group – Speculative Lab Building

Precis provided architecture and engineering master planning services to Hankin Group, a family-owned real estate development firm, for a three-story, multi-tenant speculative laboratory building for multiple life science tenants involved in the drug discovery process from laboratory-based research through early stage (pilot scale) manufacturing.

The building will be located on a prominent site at the entrance to Eagleview, a mixed-use development community,
located in the Philadelphia suburb of Exton, Pennsylvania.

Single- and multi-tenant concept layouts were developed for general research, gene and cell therapy, therapeutics, and contract research organizations. The building’s floor plate accommodates requirements for physical segregation, chain of custody, and biosafety level (BSL) segregation of suites, waste streams, and product flows.

The proposed site totals ~17.8 acres. Grading allows for basement level access on the building’s south side. Floor plates, excluding the basement, range from 40,000 to 43,500 sf each.

Penn State – Beaver Stadium Capital Improvement Projects

Following a comprehensive maintenance evaluation of Penn State’s Beaver Stadium that Precis performed, Precis remains engaged for architectural and engineering design services to implement various capital improvement projects for the nation’s second-largest stadium.

Projects include a major renovation of the third floor of the East Suites to accommodate functions relocated from the West Press Box as part of the major Beaver Stadium Renovations, the “Tunnel Club” VIP suites, the addition of new walk-in freezers, beer and wine coolers, various concession stand upgrades, a female officials’ locker room, and a visiting team female staff locker room. Precis also is currently involved with other VIP and fan experience concept designs to help envision the future of Beaver Stadium.

Eisai Co., Ltd. – Pilot Plant

Eisai Co., Ltd. (formerly Morphotek) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The award-winning building was designed for the production of biologics to support early-stage clinical trials. The project involved master planning, architecture, and engineering design services for the 60,000-sf cGMP pilot plant to support manufacturing of advanced therapeutics. The use of BIM software enabled advanced coordination, team communication, and project organization.

The project began with demolition of three existing buildings and construction of the new facility, which includes the pilot plant, laboratories, and office space. Integrated architecture and engineering yielded a facility that marries form and function. A unidirectional circulation and viewing corridor maximizes building area dedicated to production. A mechanical catwalk rings the production core and provides access to all building systems for ventilation and maintenance. Dual fixed and disposable technology offer flexibility in manufacturing. Natural light permeates most of the building, including office and laboratory areas. The building offers 85.2 percent efficiency, with full systems redundancy, and enables complete segregation of production spaces in the event of a failure or contamination.

Sustainable design and operational features of the project resulted in LEED Gold Certification, and the project was recognized as an ISPE Facility of the Year Sustainability Category winner. The plant is 30 percent more water efficient, 33.2 percent more energy efficient, and offers a 90 percent more efficient HVAC system compared to a standard pharmaceutical facility. A rooftop solar array includes 330 photovoltaic panels that generate enough annual electricity to power six U.S. houses for a year.

The award-winning project was completed $3 million under budget in 18 months.

Images © Don Pearse Photographers, Inc.

Trevena, Inc. – Interior Design Fit-Out

Precis supported clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, Trevena, Inc., with an office relocation and expansion in an existing building. Trevena wanted an open floor plan with high ceilings to maximize natural daylighting for the growing company.

The existing second floor was made up of two separate areas connected by a narrow passage around the central building core. The new plan’s design utilized a bright and colorful curved wall to pull the two separated areas together. The larger of the two areas contains conference spaces, collaboration areas, and open and private offices. The area to the eastern side of the building also contains open and private offices, small conference and collaboration areas, and a new breakroom, large enough to hold company-wide town-hall sized gatherings. The new space features a small coffee bar/work café along the central curved circulation spine that connects the two sides of the office. Other highlights include painted white ceilings, innovative lighting design concepts, and exposed structural and mechanical systems. Innovative technology and user-friendly seating plans help lure employees out of their workstations and offer more stimulating work environments.

Center for Breakthrough Medicines – 411 Innovations Labs Complex

Precis was tasked with programming multiple buildings within the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) 411 Innovations Labs complex in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The CBM is an advanced therapy-focused contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) dedicated to delivering life-changing patient treatments.

Precis provided programming for viral vector, cell therapy, filling, plasmid, and mRNA manufacturing; myco, molecular, quality control (QC), next-generation sequencing (NGS), virology, flow cytometry, and environmental monitoring testing labs; and warehouse and support areas.

Precis was responsible for defining user requirements to be able to develop a conceptual floor plan and equipment layout. Tasks included participating in programming meetings with the users to walk through the process and define space requirements. In addition to the floor plan, room cards were developed to define equipment, utilities, and other design requirements needed within each room. Deliverables included a programming questionnaire, programming layout, equipment list with consumption requirements, and the development of room cards. After completing concept design, Precis continued to provide design support to the architectural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) teams along with providing GMP expertise.

Frontage Laboratories, Inc. – Sierra Drive Fit-Out

Frontage Laboratories is a global pharmaceutical development organization (PDO) advancing drug discovery and development. Precis provided architecture and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and process engineering design services for the relocation and expansion of Frontage’s existing pilot scale production facility into a new building. The expansion was designed to support Phase I and Phase II Clinical Products.

Design for the fit-out encompassed approximately 46,000 sf. A non-sterile area includes five ISO 8 processing suites for multi-product processing of non-sterile products, including oral solid dosage (OSD), ointments, liquids, etc. A sterile area consists of two sterile filling suites for multi-product processing of sterile products into vials, syringes, and bottles. Each filling suite is ISO 7 with an interior ISO 5 area for filling. Additional ISO 7 spaces included sterile equipment staging and material (MAL) and personnel (PAL) airlocks. A potent compound area consists of two potent suites for occupational exposure band (OEB) Category 3 – occupational exposure limit (OEL) 50 to 100 ug/m3 compounds. The suite has unidirectional MAL and PAL airlocks with a misting shower for PAL out. Support areas include analytical and microbiology labs, equipment wash, clean equipment staging, a GMP warehouse, mechanical rooms, and offices.

During the design phase, the shell of the space was under construction, resulting in an early underground/slab package being issued to keep the construction team progressing. Long-lead equipment specifications were identified and fast-tracked for early procurement. These early packages enabled the design team to develop the detailed design while the construction team concurrently procured the long-lead equipment and installed underground plumbing.

Terumo Medical Corporation – Break Room and Cafeteria Expansion

Precis provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) engineering support for a 6,000-sf building addition for Terumo Medical Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of medical devices and supplies.

The addition includes a large corporate cafeteria/break room, board room, and new employee entrance and lobby. The renovations included a large cafeteria capable of holding all-hands meetings and fit-out for a relocated laboratory. Mechanical upgrades included a new packaged direct, gas-fired, variable volume multi-zone air handling system and associated airflow distribution; comprehensive air balancing; new reheat coils throughout; new finned-tube radiation system for improvement of thermal comfort; and building automation upgrades.