When planning a research, education, or treatment facility, five essential MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) considerations are crucial for ensuring optimal functionality, safety, and efficiency.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRAM

The flow of people, consumables, supplies, and waste is fundamental to how your building will operate. It’s more intricate than just managing faculty, staff, and students. By considering these dynamics from the outset, you can ensure that every aspect of your facility’s design contributes to a reliable, efficient, and safe environment.

1. EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION

JE Dunn’s meticulous process guarantees that all laboratory equipment aligns with your program’s specifications. We confirm dimensions, quantities, utility infrastructure requirements (power, water, etc.), path of travel, weight, vibration, and access for maintenance are all compatible with the contract documents. We plan for cutouts, passthroughs, blocking/reinforcing, and finish details so that delays due to rework are avoided especially with custom products with extended lead times like epoxy countertops.

We share manufacturer’s equipment data and cut sheets with electrical, low voltage, mechanical, and plumbing trade partners to coordinate utility rough-in locations and pathways as well as identifying providers for fixtures/fittings, devices, and accessories to eliminate scope gaps. Using BIM/VDC, we verify and coordinate slab recesses, blockouts, equipment pads, or platforms necessary for installation, ensuring all critical dimensions are checked for proper equipment arrangement, access, and clearances. We review project specification sections to clarify work scopes, ensuring all documents are shared with relevant partners.

Procedures are in place for checking materials upon delivery, ensuring they match contract documents and approved submittals. All training programs provided to facility users are documented to ensure proper operation and maintenance of installed equipment. Our comprehensive approach ensures your laboratory equipment installation is efficient, coordinated, and aligned with your program’s needs, avoiding unnecessary delays and costs.

2. OCCUPANCY SAFETY

Safety is paramount in life sciences construction. For equipment with radiation considerations, we coordinate proper shielding for doors, partitions, and enclosures. When and where flammable gasses are used or stored, we confirm the provision of appropriate fire-rated cabinets, partitions, and monitoring, and suppression systems. In MRI and imaging rooms, we use Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding to prevent interference to and from magnetic fields.

JE Dunn has built more than 21M SF of research and life science facilities and with deep experience working with design teams, we collaborate to consider emergency and fail scenarios, maintenance modes, and decommissioning procedures. This can include magnet quench events that require ventilation and controls, and other planned or unplanned occurrences. Safety considerations are also important during the construction phase of life science projects to keep workers out of harm’s way. This includes limited access zones, specialized training, and task specific personal protective equipment, depending on the risk.

Room requirements for handling, storing, using, and disposing of hazardous materials must be considered. In high containment labs and clean rooms, precise control of room pressurization ensures contaminants do not escape into surrounding areas. Our Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) process validates that the design pressure cascade is maintained to keep occupants safe.

3. BSL CONTAINMENT

Bio-Safety Level (BSL) containment is crucial in research facilities with hazardous materials. Each BSL rating (1 to 4) has specific requirements to manage biological hazards safely, with higher levels necessitating advanced features like specialized ventilation and waste management.

For higher BSL zones, converting the ceiling space into a separate room/interstitial space can enhance safety and functionality for maintenance of the equipment serving these rooms.

4. RELIABILITY AND REDUNDANCY

Life Science Facilities rely on local and municipal utilities to function. This includes power, data, water, and waste. Depending on the criticality of the facility’s operations, reliability and redundancy of these utilities should be considered in design and construction. Back-up power generation can be gained using emergency generators or even power cogeneration using natural gas. The power grid and distribution, fuel supply and storage, and on-site power generation have to be built into the design to meet the needs of the facility. Similarly, the reliability and capacity of locally available data, water, and waste should also be considered. In facilities requiring MEP installations, the cornerstones of resiliency, redundancy, maintainability, and reliability are critical. Effective collaboration with the Commissioning (Cx) Team ensures that all essential systems are validated and perform reliably, safeguarding research integrity and occupant safety.

In some cases, third-party Cx agents do not act as the best stewards of our clients’ investments. JE Dunn is better positioned to manage the overall responsibility and inherent risks of certain projects, where third parties may lack accountability. JE Dunn approaches projects with a problem-solving mentality, offering unbiased recommendations to ensure optimized, functional buildings, regardless of contractual terms. While some Cx scopes require alignment with our specialized partners, JE Dunn can also serve as an internal resource, self-performing Cx services where appropriate, delivering greater value, efficiency, and cost savings for our clients.

5. PUBLIC-FACING DESIGN

Effective MEP design enhances the overall comfort and experience of building occupants. Thermostats, light switches, and plumbing fixtures should be easy to locate and use, particularly in labs with dangerous chemicals and equipment. User-friendly systems with clear labeling help occupants interact seamlessly with these systems.

Proper insulation, soundproofing materials, and strategic equipment placement minimize noise and vibrations. By adhering to these principles, our approach ensures that your facility operates smoothly, safely, and efficiently, aligning with both regulatory standards and your program’s unique requirements.

CONCLUSION

The thoughtful integration of these MEP considerations ensures that your research, education, or treatment facility not only meets but exceeds operational expectations. By prioritizing precise equipment installation, rigorous safety protocols, robust BSL containment measures, and meticulously planned utility systems, JE Dunn creates environments that foster innovation and protect occupants. Coupled with a design philosophy that enhances user experience and public engagement, our comprehensive approach guarantees a facility that is as efficient and safe as it is sophisticated.