Life Science

PM Greene Engineers’ heritage in bioscience began in the mid-1960s and expanded greatly as the industry grew in the Bay Area and beyond. Our first major biotech project was Alza’s Headquarters Campus in 1972. PM Greene Engineers’ projects for the bioscience and pharmaceutical industries include varied types of research and development laboratories, bio-safety level laboratories (BSL-2 & BSL-3), cGMP manufacturing facilities and large headquarter campuses, including several LEED certified facilities.

FEATURED PROJECT: Bio-Safety Level 3 Laboratory

PM Greene Engineers designed a new USDA approved biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory for a confidential client in California. This lab handles pathogenic and potentially lethal agents that require review and approval by the U.S. government. The new mechanical, piping and electrical utilities were extended from the existing house systems. The design included a new separate and independent exhaust system with two exhaust fans and variable frequency drives operating in parallel for redundancy and maintenance of critical negative pressure in the lab under normal and emergency situations.

• Designed for strict control of room pressurization to create continuous directional airflow from the outside of the lab to the Class II bio-safety cabinets in the lab.
• Provided supply and exhaust air tracking through the DDC system to maintain the critical negative pressurization in the lab space for biological hazard containment to BSL-3 standards.
• Designed with interior surfaces for easy cleaning and decontamination, and sterilization for all materials exiting the lab.
• Designed MEP utilities for a new autoclave and four bio-safety cabinets, and critical temperature monitoring for new lab freezers.
• Removed or capped any utility that could circumvent the BSL-3 envelope such as vacuum and drain lines.
• Designed new 480V and 120/208V normal, emergency and UPS power feeders and branches for new lab equipment.