BioMarin Gene Therapy Manufacturing Facility
Novato, Calif.
Award of Merit

Owner: BioMarin Pharmaceuticals
Lead Design Firm: CRB
General Contractor: Novo Construction
Civil Engineer: BKF
Structural Engineer: KPW Structural Engineers Inc.
MEP Engineer: Randall Lamb Associates

To create BioMarin’s Gene Therapy Manufacturing Facility, the project team renovated an existing office and warehouse building into a specialized space. The team developed, built and commissioned the 18,000-sq-ft facility within a year, allowing BioMarin to deliver filled vials to support clinical drug trials by the end of 2017.

The facility is designed to accommodate new methodologies to manufacture experimental genes designed to treat hemophilia A. The repurposed building includes space for manufacturing, quality control testing and packaging as well as new utilities and a loading dock. 

While the exterior work and site access were still under construction, the building’s interior was outfitted and connected to the utility systems. In pharmaceuticals, critical utilities like water and HVAC systems form the backbone of the manufacturing process and must meet FDA regulations. Crews poured 2,200 tons of concrete, lifted 161 tons of steel and fitted nearly two miles of pipe. Project renovations also included retrofitting existing roof framing for utility equipment loads and building a walkable ceiling supported solely by the walls below.

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