Featured Projects

Uniformed Services University, Armed Forces Radiobiological Research Institute (AFRRI)

Bethesda, Maryland

Owner

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Huntsville

Size

60,831 SF

Cost

$41,355,000

Scope

Facility Assessment and Evaluation; Planning; Architectural Design; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering; Construction Documents; Construction Observation

The Armed Forces Radiological Research Institute’s (AFRRI) mission is to develop drugs to prevent the life threatening and health degrading effects of ionizing radiation. Buildings 43 & 47 on the AFRRI campus serve as the vivarium for the Institute. Both Buildings 43 & 47 are over 30 years old with failing infrastructure and functional problems. After performing a facility assessment, and preparing an RFP, LEO A DALY was hired to prepare a work plan to renovate both buildings. The goal of the renovation is to bring both buildings into compliance with current codes and industry standards.

All of the utilities throughout Buildings 43 and 47 will be replaced as part of the renovation. There will be a new doubleended secondary unit substation with interior network service transformers and normal power distribution switchgear. There are two existing emergency generators that will be relocated so that they are adjacent to each other. The generators will be connected in parallel to new essential main distribution switchgear; this arrangement will provide improved reliability and redundancy for serving the full normal power demand.

The water service in the buildings will be replaced along with new warm waste and sanitary waste. An industrial cold and hot water system was provided for animal and laboratory spaces. A reverse osmosis animal watering system is provided in the vivarium portion of the building. Medical air, vacuum, WAGD, and oxygen systems were provided.

The HVAC system is being replaced in its entirety with a new VAV system utilizing laboratory air valves for all laboratory, surgery, and animal holding spaces to provide the precise control of air flow requested by the users. Multiple air handlers are utilized in all areas to provide redundancy and under normal operation all units will operate at part load increasing energy efficiency.

Mercer University, Spearman C. Godsey Science Center

Macon, Georgia

Owner Mercer University

Size

143,410 SF (10, 465 SF research space)

7 lecture rooms; 46 offices; 60 labs

Cost

$30,000,000

Scope

Programming, Master Planning, Architecture, Lab Planning

The $44 million, 143,410 square-foot Spearman C. Godsey Science Center gives undergraduates at Mercer University access to 60 state-of-the-art teaching and research labs, accommodating a growing enrollment and research activity in chemistry, biology and neurosciences.

The Patterson Building was demolished to make room for the signature structure, which now anchors a science quadrangle incorporating School of Medicine and School of Engineering facilities and Willet Science Center.

Designed by LEO A DALY and Hussey Gay Bell, the science building gives undergraduates at Mercer unprecedented access to graduate-level research facilities. Aside from general biology and chemistry labs, the center includes specialized teaching labs in soil and field biology, anatomy and physiology, infectious diseases, molecular and cellular biology, organic chemistry, problems in chemistry and biochemistry.

Additional specialized labs housing instrumentation and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, as well as a laser lab, computational center, growth room, cold room and tissue culture suite are included in the facility. Lab space is also devoted to science courses offered through Penfield College and Tift College of Education.

Flexibility was built into the design to accomodate changes in pedagogy over time.

University of NebraskaLincoln, Hamilton Hall, Magnet Installation

Lincoln, Nebraska

Owner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Size

N/A

Cost

$202,000

Scope

Architecture; Engineering, Construction Administration

To expand the Nebraska Center for Mass Spectrometry (NCMS) state-ofthe-art analytical capabilities to support researchers and external users within the University of Nebraska, LEO A DALY was hired to design the space and infrastructure required to support a specialized extreme resolution magnetic mass spectrometry device, Bruker SolariX FTMS. The device is one of only a few in the world and required considerable coordination between the European equipment provider, the university facilities department and LEO A DALY team members.

The technical challenges of incorporating this highly sensitive and extremely powerful magnet in the existing Hamilton Hall facility required considerable study by LEO

A DALY engineering staff to ensure the performance of the equipment. The structural engineers on the project evaluated the feasibility of the existing Hamilton Hall structure in multiple locations to determine locations suitable to support the weight and loading distribution of the magnet. This required evaluating existing structure material properties and verifying the existing slab, beams and connections were adequate to support the new equipment loads (both the travel paths and the potential locates were analyzed). The magnet was installed on a new isolation pad in its final locations, to provide vertical support, and to isolate the adjacent structure from associated vibration. Additionally, the 2 meter gauss line was a consideration in the location, and the spaces were analyzed in three dimension to ensure that it would not affect adjacent spaces.

The mechanical system design required a detailed chilled water cooling system to preserve the helium cooling of the magnet at all times to maintain unit operation. Careful coordination of materials was required to ensure non-ferrous properties within the magnet field. Multiple piped gas systems including Methane, Argon and Nitrogen are provided for use during analysis scenarios. A Quench vent was designed and located to ensure the required emergency exhaust.

Frederick, Maryland Owner

US Army COE - Huntsville

Size

3,200 SF

Cost

$1,600,000

Scope Facility Evaluation; Laboratory Planning; Architectural Design; Mechanical, Electrical, & Structural Engineering; Construction Administration

The intent of this laboratory project was to develop the best solution for renovating and replacing equipment that had reached the end of its economical life, while maximizing efficiency and work flow. The project scope included space for a BSL-3 and BSL-4 lab, which included numerous, highly technical requests from the government. The total area for renewal of this laboratory space was approximately 2,100 SF (200 SM) of BSL 4 and 1,000 SF (100 SM) of BSL 3 laboratory and support space.

A major objective was to locate all the animal rooms in close proximity to one another. Additionally, the team designed flexibility in the layout, which provides adjacent office space within the containment area with the possibility of being used as additional lab or animal rooms. The LEO A DALY design team listened to the client and developed a very extensive list of owner required/desired items, which were implemented into the design, resulting in a very satisfied client.

The BSL 3 lab includes a cold side changing area, shower, hot side changing area, equipment alcove air lock, sterilizer, dressing alcove, and hood-line. The BSL 4 lab includes a decontamination-chemical shower, cell culture and tissue culture rooms, two sterilizers, equipment room, three animal labs, a rodent lab, necropsy/treatment room, and an air lock. The design provided all new engineering systems including HVAC, plumbing, electrical/communications, and computer connectivity.

University of NebraskaLincoln, Brace Hall Lab Renovation

Lincoln, Nebraska

Owner University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Size

39,200 SF

Cost

$8,000,000

Scope

Architectural Design; Historic Preservation; Interior Design; Mechanical, Electrical and Structural Engineering

Brace Laboratory, constructed in 1906, was one of the first buildings built on the UNL campus. Recognizing the historic significance of this heritage building, the university engaged LEO A DALY to provide full architecture and engineering design for the 39,000 SF building renovation.

The university also asked LEO A DALY to study the renovation feasibility and program possibilities. Due to the age of the building, the study required a full review of building codes, including the Fire/Life Safety Code, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the International Building Code.

After completing the initial feasibility study, UNL extended our contract to include the preparation of a program statement. The resulting project restored the original tiered auditorium, introduced biology laboratories and facilitated the university’s exploration of collaborative classrooms. The renovation also restored some of the historic details of the original design throughout the interior.

Other major improvements included: installation of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (to replace the existing radiators and window unit air conditioners); restroom installation; exterior window replacement; asbestos abatement; wall paint and repair; and floor and ceiling repair/ replacement.

Augusta University, Hamilton Wing, 3rd Floor Renovation for Neuroscience Research for Rodents & Non-Human Primates

Augusta, Georgia

Owner Georgia Health Sciences University

Size 16,000 SF

Cost $4,700,000

Scope Programming; Architectural Design; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

LEO A DALY initially provided laboratory programming services to the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in Augusta, Georgia, for neuroscience research on the third floor of the Hamilton Wing R & E Complex. Upon completion of the programming assignment, MCG secured funding to continue the project design, which LEO A DALY was awarded.

This project encompassed renovated laboratory research space on the third floor. The design accommodates neurological research on rodents as well as the development and assembly of brain probes for non-human primates.

The third floor main laboratory is a large open molecular research space and includes eight, large work bench areas with sinks. The second large laboratory is the electrophysiology research lab which includes workstations for making probes for both rodents and non-human primates. A class 100 clean room is provided with seven workstations adjacent to the main lab. Three rodent recording rooms are also connected to the main lab for research observation.

Additional spaces include a tissue culture room, an electronics laboratory, a dry laboratory/electronics tool room, a large equipment room and a server/data storage room with UPS area and a radioisotope room.

Colorado School of Mines, Green Center Improvements

Golden, Colorado

Owner Colorado School of Mines

Size 34,500 SF

Cost $2,670,000

Scope

Complete Architectural Design, Laboratory Programming and Engineering Services

The teaching and research laboratories in the basement of Green Center required a variety of renovations to comply with fire code and ANSI standards, correct year round unacceptable room temperatures, and eliminate vehicle exhaust fumes from the outside truck access ramp. A new emergency generator was needed to provide power for continuous, safe operation of the laboratory exhaust system. Laboratories and classrooms also required adequate wet bench work areas, equipment storage, new fume hoods, power distribution, and other utility infrastructure improvements.

The second floor classrooms and offices received new finishes of carpet, paint, and flooring that upgraded the department offices and provided a departmental identity. The toilet rooms required upgrades and reconfigurations to comply with current codes and ADA requirements. New finishes included corridor lighting, fresh paint, new carpet for the offices and graduate student work areas, and floor tile renovations to replace asbestos finishes.

A new elevator shaft and entry were created to the south of the building to provide ADA access to the basement. On the first floor, a new lobby area was designed to allow access to the elevator while restricting access to the rest of the floor.

USACE-Mobile DistrictRenewal Program E2100, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine, Modernization/Addition

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Owner US Army COE - Mobile District

Size 60,000 SF

Cost

$40,000,000

Scope Programming; Facility Evaluation; Planning; Architectural Design; Engineering; Construction Documentation

This laboratory building is a state-of-the-art facility including spaces for laboratory sciences, toxicology, and occupational health sciences and health physics programs. The intent behind this project was to repair and restore the engineering infrastructure systems serving the building along with a full renewal of Building E2100.

Laboratory science space analyzes samples for traces of radiation, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, toxins, and metals contamination. The project includes a level 6 (99.999 percent pure) gas delivery system, class 1,000 clean rooms and numerous laboratory types, all with a minimum ratings of class 10,000 clean rooms.

The 16,000-SF (1,486-SM) third floor is primarily research laboratories supporting an animal facility. The animal laboratory space consists of seven animal holding rooms for rodents, rabbits, fowl and small reptiles and associated support space.

Other laboratory spaces include occupational health sciences and health physics areas.

The scope of work required the project be divided into numerous phases and packages in order to allow for funding over time from different sources.

Sanford Underground Research Facility, Black Hills State University Clean Room

Lead, South Dakota

Owner

South Dakota Science & Technology

Authority

Size 5,000 SF

Cost

$2,000,000

Scope

Architecture; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering; Construction Administration

In 2003, the Homestake gold mine beneath Lead, South Dakota, closed after 125 years of mining, was donated to the State of South Dakota. The state formed the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority to oversee operations of the mine, and created the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) as an aegis for a variety of deep earth physics experiments located on the 4850 level, void of nearly all cosmic (background) radiation.

The LEO A DALY and Dean Kurtz Construction design/build team completed the build out of an experiment space for Black Hills State University (BHSU). This laboratory, referred to as the BHSU Clean Room, houses a modular clean room, including Class 10,000 and Class 1,000 spaces.

Currently, BHSU researchers are measuring background radiation levels of various metals to build a baseline database for other 4850 level experiments, however the space offers flexibility for future experimentation.

The team designed the space to provide an environment that accommodates experimentation by providing air conditioning, dehumidification, and radon mitigation. The utility infrastructure conditions the ancillary space and provides connection points for the modular clean room.

Due to the location of the lab 4,850 feet below the surface, thorough planning and coordination of infrastructure and equipment sizes was required to ensure that all of the components can physically be installed in the space.

Sanford Underground Research Facility, CASPAR Laboratory Rehabilitation

Lead, South Dakota Owner

South Dakota Science & Technology Authority

Size 4,500 SF

Cost

$2,000,000

Scope Architecture; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering; Construction Administration

In 2003, the Homestake gold mine beneath Lead, South Dakota, now closed, was donated to the State of South Dakota. After 125 years of mining, over 600 km of tunnels, on dozens of levels, had been created, reaching to more than 8000 feet below the mine entrance.

The state formed the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority to oversee operations and created the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) as an aegis for a variety of deep earth physics research experiments located on the 4850 level, void of nearly all cosmic (background) radiation.

The Compact Accelerator System for Performing Astrophysical Research (CASPAR) laboratory houses a low power accelerator. This experiment, run by University of Notre Dame physics department, studies low power nuclear reactions commonly found in most stars.

The LEO A DALY and Dean Kurtz Construction design/build team designed and constructed the new CASPAR space, including survey, ground support, MEP systems, and neutron radiation shielding (to protect researchers).

The design creates an environment conducive to experimentation including: conditioning the space, eliminating radon gas and providing neutron radiation shielding throughout. The team also coordinated the sizing of all infrastructure and equipment for delivery and installation within the tight space.

CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center at Bergan Campus, Lab Consolidation

Omaha, Nebraska

Owner CHI Health

Size

19,300 SF

Cost

$3,600,000

Scope

Architecture, Interior Design, Mechanical, Electrical and Structural Engineering

To increase efficiency and lower operational costs CHI Health Systems decided to move their off-site, stand-a-lone Core Lab to the Creighton University Medical Center Bergan Campus. This increase in efficiency by consolidating, co-locating and minimizing duplication of services along with the addition of a Siemens Automated Line is estimated to save the Health System over $4 million in operating costs annually. The project includes renovation of over 19,000 SF of existing lab and adjacent spaces which provides over 9,000 SF of additional functional area a this location.

A major challenge of the MEP engineering design was due to the vast majority of equipment being existing and relocated with minimal power or utility information known during the initial design phase of the project. To address this challenge LEO A DALY developed a matrix of all equipment present in the lab spaces as a tool for coordination and to identify equipment-specific requirements such as the power and data, emergency power needs, plumbing needs, mechanical needs and space requirements. A new Siemens Automated Line, required careful coordination with the medical vendor along with the owner to ensure proper electrical and utility requirements.

Attention to phasing of MEP systems was critical as the major lab equipment needed to maintain operations throughout the duration of construction. LEO A DALY designed a new acid waste sanitary system that required careful coordination with the plumbing contractor to ensure the system avoided existing condition obstacles and achieved a system design that could accept multiple phases of construction. Each construction phase integrated additional fume hoods into the exhaust system which required a variable flow system to accommodate each individual hood. Other system designs included CO2 gas distribution, compressed air systems and deionized water systems.

The exhausts systems for the Histology Lab were coordinated with architecture and integrated into a benchtop exhaust system to remove fumes directly at the work surface, providing a safer working environment.

Hennepin County Medical Examiner Facility

Minnetonka, Minnesota

Owner

Hennepin County

Size

69,000 SF

Cost

$44,800,000

Scope

Full scope architectural, interior design and engineering services, cost estimating and consulting services

With 13 autopsy stations, the 58,325 SF facility also includes storage coolers and freezers for 130 decedents. Air cleanliness is paramount in this laboratory, whose mechanical system supplies high-volume air changes. The autopsy suite uses splayed natural-daylight wells and a sloped ceiling to throw light into autopsy areas. The central air system was designed to precisely control air quality, air pressure and humidity throughout the building. Computational fluiddynamic (CFD) modeling was used evaluate air flow direction around medical examiner work areas. Parallel generators provide 98 percent complete backup power generation to maintain conditions if there is power loss. Positive pressurization in clean rooms prevents contamination from adjacent spaces. A steam generator unit supplies steam to the humidifier grid to provide humidification.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner (HCME) facility is accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). The most advanced of its type, this facility serves doctoral forensic students from a region comprising nearly half of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

A dedicated anthropology lab houses a kettle that runs for long periods of time to prepare remains for analysis. The mechanical system exhausts the kettle’s noxious vapors and maintains prescribed pressure, humidity and air-quality standards. An override switch prevents the system from going into unoccupied mode when the kettle is in use, and negative pressurization prevents transmission of odors and contaminants to the rest of the building.

Structurally, the facility is composed of two buildings, including a smaller building for administration and storage. Ceilings in the lab area are supported by wide-flange, steel beams, which add loading capacity to support mechanical equipment and any future additions.

Laboratory and Special Pathogen Unit Design Experience

• Nebraska Medicine, Biocontainment Unit Omaha, Nebraska

• US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Restoration of 5th Floor BSL-3 Laboratories, Animal Surgical Facilities and Support Areas Washington, DC

• US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Building 54, Walter Reed Army Medical Center Campus Washington, DC

• US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Renovation of Laboratory Suite Frederick, Maryland

• Darnall Army Medical Center (DAMC), Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory Fort Hood, Texas

• US Department of Veterans Affairs, Infrastructure Laboratory Research Program, Phase IIIB Multiple Locations

• US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Building 1425, Repair Project Ward for Genomics Center Frederick, Maryland

• Bio-Safety Level-2 Laboratory Renovation and South Dock Alteration Frederick, Maryland

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln, BSL3 Lab Lincoln, Nebraska

Research Laboratory Experience

• CASPAR Laboratory Rehabilitation Lead, South Dakota

• CIBA Vision BTI Building Miscellaneous Lab Renovation Duluth, Georgia

• Colorado School of Mines, Green Center Improvements Golden, Colorado

• Florida Atlantic University, Biomedical Science Center Boca Raton, Florida

• Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Fort Pierce, Florida

• Georgia Health Sciences University, Renovation For Neuroscience Research for Rodents & Non-Human Primates Augusta, Georgia

• Georgia Health Sciences University, Non-Human Primate Lab Addition Program Gracewood, Georgia

• Great Ape Trust of Iowa Des Moines, Iowa

• Genomics Center, USAMRIID Building 1425 Fort Detrick, Maryland

• Scripps Research Institute of Florida, Drosophilia Lab Renovation Jupiter, Florida

Vivarium Experience

• Florida Atlantic University Main Vivarium Renovation Building 71 Jupiter, Florida

• Florida Atlantic University Scripps Research Joint Use Facility Phases 1 & 2 Jupiter, Florida

• Florida Atlantic University Vivarium Renovation Building 35A Jupiter, Florida

• Florida Atlantic University Vivarium Renovation MC 17 Jupiter, Florida

• Florida Atlantic University Vivarium Study Building 12 Jupiter, Florida

• University of California - Irvine Medical Academic Laboratory Facility Orange, California

• U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Building 54, Walter Reed Army Medical Center Campus Washington, DC

• US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

• US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Fort Detrick, Maryland

• US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine Natick, Massachusetts

• Xavier University College of Pharmacy New Orleans, Louisiana