Rather than using separated spaces for different aspects of pharmaceutical manufacturing as is typical, this plant was built with a single main “ballroom” to allow for adaptable modules that can be switched and scaled up as new treatments advance from R&D to commercial production, the team says.
In addition to being ready for rapid turnover for new treatments, the design allows the manufacturer to easily replace equipment as new technology becomes available, says Kevin Ng, vice president of science and technology at XL Construction. “Each of the bays was designed to receive any of the different modules that [owner Genentech] may want to swap out in the future,” he says. “So, they have consistent utilities, consistent power, consistent sizing and a flexible grid of anchors in the floor that could receive different size modules as they change in the future.”