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imageSuccessful Biocontainment Facilities in the New Economy
Whether the client is a pharmaceutical company, a government agency or a university, the design of a biocontainment facility must be tailored to the specifics of that client. Therefore, the foremost challenge often faced is the development of a clear and informed understanding of what clients are trying to achieve and how they will be using the facility to pursue their objectives.

Who are the scientists? What kind of research are they going to be doing? What processes will be needed? How much flexibility will they require? There are as many different ways to perform a research study as there are researchers, so approaching the project with an established process is a necessity.

On the recently completed Influenza Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, we used an established process to address several challenging situations, resulting in a successful facility. The 20,000-square-foot Institute is helping to lead the nation’s efforts in preparing for a possible flu pandemic and includes laboratories, lab support space, animal holding rooms, and offices to house a staff of 30. The lab space consists of BSL-2, -3, -3E, and -3Ag research space to study influenza viruses. As the Institute has been in operation for more than a year, we have gained an understanding of how the processes used during design and construction are effectively expressed in the built environment.

To ensure the final facility would not only function well, but would also function within the client’s financial parameters, four general guidelines were followed.

Align the Client’s Science and Business Goals

If the client’s business and science goals were not aligned up front, and maintained throughout the process, any conflict between those goals could derail the project. If discovered halfway through the design process that the goals have changed or do not complement each other, the design will not work. This is where an architect becomes a business consultant, guiding the client through a review of their strategic objectives and how their science works within that context. This alignment effort also benefits the entire project team, as their refined knowledge of the client’s goals further inform the choices made during the design process.

Establish Operating Procedures for the Completed Facility

How is the facility going to be used on a day-to-day basis? How will the waste be taken out? How will animals and other materials be brought in? How will people don their personal protective equipment as they move through the gowning process? It is nearly impossible for an architect to create a successful facility without working directly with the operators and users. They are the people who can answer these process-specific questions and establish standard operating procedures. These procedures must be integrated into the estimates for the running costs of the completed facility to determine if adjustments need to be made.

Integrate Biocontainment and Research Equipment with the Facility

Biocontainment equipment requires different HVAC and mechanical systems than standard buildings, necessitating special expertise and understanding. During the design process these complex pieces of equipment must be thoughtfully integrated into the facility.

Maintain Project Cost and Schedule Using a Proven Project Delivery Process

No matter how expertly designed the facility is, if it costs too much to build and operate, it can never truly be successful. Monitoring and maintaining costs throughout the design process ensures early detection of financial issues so designs can be optimized, minimizing wasted effort.

The Institute’s science goal was to create a single pathogen, multi-specie biocontainment facility. The business goal was to secure a key principal investigator and his associated grant funding for high pathogen avian influenza. A key issue was a competing offer from another university to acquire this researcher, so the schedule needed to be accelerated to counter their offer.

To allow for this accelerated schedule, the project was funded through the University of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation instead of standard state legislative funding processes, and the project was moved off campus to the University Research Park. As the project was functioning outside of the traditional academic design and construction delivery process, several opportunities were created to speed delivery.

At the beginning of the project, the Owner was reluctant to provide us a clear idea of their budget, in the hope that the needs of the researcher would shape that number. Unfortunately, this caused some issues, as the science goals and the business goals were not fully aligned in this area.

The principal researcher outlined his vision of what the Institute could include. Based upon his vision, the proposed preliminary project came in at $38 million dollars and 75,000 square feet. Unfortunately, when this was presented to the Foundation, they stated the actual budget for the project was only $6 million. At that point, the team had to help bring the science and financial aspects of the project into alignment. In the end, the design team redefined the program and the Owner allocated additional funds, bringing the project into alignment at 28,000 square feet with a budget of $12.5 million.

This example demonstrates how necessary it is to understand both the scientific aspects and the financial constraints of the project from the beginning. On a fast-delivery schedule, a design team can not afford to waste time by working with a scope that is not fully understood.

To allow for the agreed-upon budget and accelerated timeline, the team chose to renovate an existing commercial building. The BSL-3Ag containment space and the BSL-2 and -3 labs were new construction inserted into an existing structure, and the office spaces were renovations within the pre-existing building.

Having pre-established standard operating procedures (SOPs) already in place was a considerable benefit to this project. As this researcher had an existing BSL-3 space on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, he already had SOPs that were fully vetted and approved by the governing regulatory agencies. From the beginning, the researcher was able to share these SOPs with the team, using them to drive the design process. When the research team used the SOPs as a tool to analyze design documents, the team was able to take their input and fine tune the design to match the SOPs.

For example, personnel flow was assessed for facility access. How would people move through the facility? What security barriers would be needed? How would they come into the facility through the first changing room and shower, and then move on to either the BSL-3 or the -3Ag space? How would they move through another shower, a clean/dirty changing room, and then go into each of the individual animal rooms or necropsy suite?

The SOPs were used to clarify each step and to review and refine the resulting designs. Similarly, the SOPs were able to assist in determining how to move animals into the facility and remove waste after the studies are concluded.

When the user moved into the completed space, after the containment areas received approval, and began using the space for their research, they had only minimal changes to their SOPs. If the space had been designed without the SOPs in place, it would have highly limited the user’s research capability and constrained their productivity. As a result, both the scientific and business goals for the facility would have been affected.

The design/build approach for the Institute was as an integrated, unified team. This form of collaboration allowed the architects, engineers, construction team, and the client to focus on issues beyond their own specialty or discipline. Each team member viewed the project holistically. One of the advantages this brought to the purchase of the research and containment equipment, as well as the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment, during the final design stage. As a result, the design was completed with known pieces of equipment and these systems were more effectively integrated into the facility.

This holistic approach was one of the key factors in maintaining cost control throughout the project. With the established budget of $12.5 million, the team had a target to use as a benchmark for all costs. The integrated team could continually monitor all aspects of the project and identify any changes, selecting the correct way to adjust the project to accommodate that increased cost, or remedy it.

The greatest challenge in projects such as this is not the individual details of the design. The greatest challenge is gaining a clear understanding of the clients’ needs and their objectives. By helping the client align their scientific and business goals, utilizing established operating procedures, integrating the complex equipment into the facility, and maintaining project cost, a functional and financially responsible biocontainment facility is created.


There are as many different ways to perform a research study as there are researchers, so approaching the project with an established process is a necessity.
“If the client’s business and science goals were not aligned up front, and maintained throughout the process, any conflict between those goals could derail the project.”
It is nearly impossible for an architect to create a successful facility without working directly with the operators and users.
No matter how expertly designed the facility is, if it costs too much to build and operate, it can never truly be successful.
This example demonstrates how necessary it is to understand both the scientific aspects and the financial constraints of the project from the beginning.
The design/build approach for the Institute was as an integrated, unified team. This form of collaboration allowed the architects, engineers, construction team, and the client to focus on issues beyond their own specialty or discipline.
This holistic approach was one of the key factors in maintaining cost control throughout the project. With the established budget of $12.5 million, the team had a target to use as a benchmark for all costs.




Biocontainment, Influenza Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University Research Park, BSL
imageShands Cancer Hospital:Wellness through Integrated Arts
Shands HealthCare has a renowned Arts in Medicine program designed to utilize the arts in numerous channels to improve healthcare outcomes for patients, to enhance the work environment for employees, and to distinguish and differentiate Shands from its competitors. Ultimately the arts at Shands are an essential part of the culture of care.

“If the purpose of art is to nourish the spirit, then what better place to find it than in a hospital where the spirit encounters its most critical moments,” asks Shands HealthCare Arts in Medicine program director Tina Mullen.

When it set out to build the new bed tower that became Shands Cancer Hospital, Shands HealthCare sought out partners who would utilize art and design elements to actively support the hospital’s mission and goals. “This commitment speaks to [Shands’] understanding that the arts are more than something that makes the hospital ‘feel nice.’ It really speaks to the organization’s humanitarian mission to serve,” Mullen says. “I know that sounds grandiose, but that is how we think about it.

“Every hospital likes to think that they are creating spaces of art, and they are. But for us, art needs to be part of the orchestra, not the background music. So placing art on available wall space isn’t enough. Leading people through a space with art was our objective. That means creating places that have a visual impact on your travel path through the building, lighting those spaces, and preparing walls to receive art. All of these things have made the art feel very purposeful.”

Alana Schrader, an interior designer and senior associate at Flad Architects, appreciated the opportunity to showcase the functionality of thoughtful art and design in a healthcare setting.

“Art at Shands was an essential component of the building program,” Schrader explains. “It wasn’t an afterthought. Fully integrated art was a client goal from the outset, and it was our challenge and responsibility to maximize the value of the investment in art and design elements.”

In the end, the arts at Shands Cancer Hospital serve many purposes. For example, the carefully crafted healing environment communicates branding messages (e.g. “the humanity of Shands”) and reinforces core organizational concepts (e.g. that healing is not only a medical process). Patient-room art, created and donated by caregivers, fosters patient connections with healthcare providers and further establishes employees as stakeholders in the new hospital. Artwork used as architectural landmarks supports intuitive wayfinding, which eases stress for patients, families, and visitors.

Working as an integrated team with general contractor SkanskaUSA, Flad and Shands were able to prioritize the arts from the outset by establishing clear, mutual goals. Strategically planned partnering sessions helped sustain the arts goals throughout planning, design, and construction.

“The thing that was critical for us in the build program was recognizing that Arts in Medicine is part of our culture of care, and that as an organization we are committed to creating patient care settings that support creativity and wellness,” Mullen says. “What made this process unique was that the integrated team could comment up front about real targets: what was monetarily feasible, what would work, and what would not within the physical constraints of the project.”

Ultimately the arts at Shands are an essential part of the culture of care.“...That means creating places that have a visual impact on your travel path through the building, lighting those spaces, and preparing walls to receive art. All of these things have made the art feel very purposeful.”Related LinksGallery Images of Shands Cancer Hospital



Flad Architects, University of Florida, Gainesville, Archer Road, Laura Stillman, LEED Gold, Brad Politt, humanitarian, communicate, message, patient room, stakeholder, Skanska, flad_health_change