A 70-year-old former Nabisco cookie factory is now a first-of-its-kind prototype lab for medical devices. Located less than a mile from the Texas Medical Center, the 25,000-sq-ft facility has ample lab space, a world-class machine shop, private offices, a virtual-reality suite and areas that promote collaboration among as many as 20 teams.

Creating consensus among three client groups in four cities required the team to schedule multiple design meetings to meet challenges. For example, the loading-receiving dock was not large enough to bring in the machining equipment so a large window was installed for that purpose. The window added daylighting to the interior. The shipping containers for the equipment were repurposed as a conference room. 

The team collaborated to ensure timely delivery of laboratory and air-handling equipment and other materials to avoid placing undue pressure on subcontractors. The facility was completed under budget in September 2017.

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