Howard Building Corporation

Project Description

Since its founding in 1978, Focus Diagnostics has grown its business from specialized laboratory testing to manufacturing its high-quality laboratory tests for hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide. The facilities that architects at Ware Malcomb designed and Howard Building Corporation constructed were a critical part of this expansion. The new space totaled 91,000 square feet, of which 30,000 square feet is office space, 50,000 square feet is laboratory and manufacturing space, and 10,000 square feet is warehouse and shipping area. The first phase of construction included the office space, restrooms, a large IT room, a break room, training rooms, reception area, several new conference rooms, and perimeter offices. The renovation required all new lighting, flooring, finishes, and systems furniture.

The second phase entailed reconfiguring an empty warehouse into a medical laboratory and manufacturing environment. All new systems were installed to support the laboratory and manufacturing operations including new DI water, compressed air, nitrogen, and argon gas, as well as a completely new IT, UPS, and electrical system. BSL1&2 labs and other positive and negative air pressure rooms were supported by new mechanical units that required new roof platforms. Extensive structural upgrades were also included in the scope. The most impressive features of the project were the huge, 2 story walk in freezers that were so large they had their own internal mezzanines. With a majority of their products stored on site, all the refrigeration units in the space required 24 hour temperature controls and redundancy to ensure no disruption of power. A 550 kW generator and enclosure were built to support this.