White Space Facility Expansion
Precis provided architecture and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and structural engineering design services for the conversion of an existing data center into an extension of the “white space” within an existing building. The converted space follows ISO 8 standards and includes expanded white space, a vision lab, and a tool room, plus a modified hallway between the existing data center and the restrooms.
As a result of the existing data center moving to a new part of the facility, the client wished to reclaim the space and expand its manufacturing capacity through the addition of five bonders to the white space and to increase overall productivity in the adjacent spaces through larger rooms with well-defined architectural programming.
New rooftop units and exhaust fans were designed to support the additional mechanical load, which in turn required structural reinforcement to the roof. Plumbing design involved running connections to the area (e.g., nitrogen, vacuum). Electrical design was required to provide new electrical distribution to accommodate the new white space equipment, rooftop units, and exhaust fans.
CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain – Building 3 Renovations
Precis was tasked with a design-build project to renovate an existing building in Malvern, Pennsylvania, leased by CertainTeed, a division of Saint-Gobain, a manufacturer of global building materials. The building fit-out accommodates 28,000 sf of research and development (R&D) lab space appropriate for contemporary materials science and 12,000 sf of open office space. The design team utilized materials manufactured by Saint-Gobain in order to achieve sustainability goals.
The project required working closely with key Saint-Gobain personnel, the architect, and construction manager personnel. Precis provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering design and construction administration.
Key engineering components included design of new site electrical service, including coordination with PECO to support upgrade and expansion to the building service. Precis provided detailed layout and design of all mechanical systems, including air-handling units, exhaust systems, heating and cooling equipment, and associated appurtenances; design of a new process waste system, lab waste system, and sanitary, domestic hot and cold water systems as required to support the upgrades. Precis also designed the building emergency distribution and uninterruptible power supply system, including design for a new emergency generator; design of primary and secondary power systems and transformers to support fit-out and future building expansion; and design of a complete lighting plan.
Princeton University – Andlinger Center Plasma-Therm Apex SLR Installation
The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University is a multi-disciplinary research and education center. The project included the demolition and relocation of existing plasma etching equipment to accommodate the installation of two new Plasma-Therm tools, the procurement and installation of abatement systems to support these new tools, corrective work associated with the abatement tools, and strategies, procurement and installation of new abatement tools for future purchases and associated infrastructure.
Princeton required utility modifications for the relocation and modification of existing process equipment and the installation of new equipment, including multiple process exhaust abatement systems within the cleanroom. Precis modified the existing exhaust systems, designed new process exhaust between the process equipment and abatement equipment, and revised the hazardous gas monitoring and building automation systems (BAS) for equipment integration. Coordination and staging of demolition and new work was required to minimize shutdowns of existing utilities, maintain existing operations of the cleanroom lab space for other users, and maintain dimensional requirements for egress, removal, and installation of new materials and equipment.
Precis designed the project in a 3D Revit model and provided customized piping specifications to accommodate the specialized gasses required for plasma etching as well as the broad scope of material compatibility required for the abatement systems to prevent corrosion.
Terumo Medical Corporation – Project Gemini
Terumo Medical Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of medical devices and supplies. Precis developed a master plan for phased renovations to the company’s existing 180,000-sf production facility, which contains a combination of ISO 8 and Controlled-Non-Classified (CNC) spaces. The existing layout had production spaces along perimeter exterior walls, and most of the HVAC used a plenum return, making it difficult to control pressurization, temperature, and humidity.
Precis developed a phased master plan to provide redundant primary air-handling units (AHUs) and flow-control devices to support ventilation, pressurization, dehumidification, preheat, and humidification requirements. In this approach, construction could occur in phases while maintaining production activities. Existing AHUs were utilized to support sensible cooling within each suite. Ducted fan filter units and low wall return grilles were used to provide for additional air turnover.
The first phase of implementation consisted of interior renovations to provide a modern clean room production space and involved providing primary air to the Project Gemini clean room and an adjacent clean room. The total project area of the two clean rooms, utility closet, and adjacent corridors totals approximately 15,300 sf.
The second phase of implementation included adding the third and fourth primary air units, connecting them to three additional production air-handling systems, and replacing and supplementing the existing fan filter units and low wall return grilles to improve space pressurization, temperature, and humidity control.
FARO Technologies – Facility Upgrade + Expansion
Precis provided architecture and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering services for upgrades and an expansion to the existing FARO Technologies R&D and manufacturing facility in Exton, Pennsylvania. The company provides 3D metrology-grade measurement technology, specializing in probing and scanning.
The project encompassed a new 90,000-sf high technology center, consisting of production, calibration, and assembly
labs, along with R&D facilities. The new facility included a 7,500-sf ISO 8/7 laser manufacturing suite complete with testing fields, 25,000 sf of commercial office space, and a 9,000-sf laser service center. The facility also included multiple labs and tech rooms with static dissipative floors that were isolated from the surrounding building to prevent vibration propagation into them. Additional space was occupied by a controlled warehouse. The facility incorporated multiple laser fields, including an 8,700-sf laser calibration and certification field located in the middle of the building, fully isolated from everything around it to eliminate any breakout noise or vibration. All the laser fields required high degrees of temperature uniformity to avoid bending from temperature gradients at the micro level, making it uncertifiable.
Working closely with the client, Precis provided design and construction administration services, which included detailed design, construction documentation, and construction administration. Precis was responsible for the design of all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems for ISO 7 and ISO 8 R&D and manufacturing areas.
Images © Steve Wolf
Emory University and Georgia Tech – Shared Library Service Center
Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) constructed a shared high-density storage facility for circulating and special collections material. The 55,000-sf, climate-controlled Library Service Center (LSC) was developed to create a unified collection of materials available to faculty, staff, and students at both Atlanta institutions.
Precis performed mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) engineering on the project in two distinct phases, including an MEP/FP basis of design (BOD) and final detailed design followed by construction administration. Special design considerations included tight control of low temperature and humidity conditions to maximize the preservation index of the archival storage facility. Precis was selected for the project due to its proven track record of successful projects involving critical environments.
Medical Cannabis – Grow Facilities and Dispensaries
The cannabis industry has grown exponentially over recent years with the first Precis client holding one of the first five licenses issued in the state of New York. From there, we have worked with several different clients with multi-state operations dedicated to helping individuals feel and live better through cannabis. These projects typically involve a retrofit of an existing facility for controlled-environment indoor grow, post-processing, research and development (R&D), and automated packaging.
Grow facilities have ranged from 30,000-100,000 sf of indoor grow area along with indoor drying and curing spaces, agricultural R&D spaces, post-processing extraction facilities, a quality control lab and kitchen, automated packaging line, warehouse and vault space, and dedicated fertigation space.
Renovation design has involved increasing utility capacities and meeting strict HVAC requirements for the incorporation of LED grow lighting, purified water and irrigation, emergency generators, HVAC systems redundancy, carbon dioxide monitoring and safety systems, and automation systems.
Precis has also been involved with a number of dispensary projects that have been part of larger grow facilities or as stand-alone projects. These dispensary projects have ranged from 5,000-6,000 sf and have been designed to meet the specific state licensing requirements for the retail sales area, the secure entrance and processing area, and the secure loading areas. Designs have fostered the clients’ intent to create upscale medical/hospitality environments within the interiors.