Newcastle University Institute of Cellular Medicine
Newcastle University Institute of Cellular Medicine is a unique facility providing renal, whole pancreas/islet cell, liver, heart and lung transplantation within a single integrated unit. There is a focus on cutting edge medical research which explores the basis of disease, development of new methods of diagnosis and treatments plus deriving new treatments and assess their impacts in practice.
Project Objectives
The objective was a full refurbishment of the 2nd and 3rd floors to provide modern, open plan research laboratory spaces with associated tissue culture laboratories, advanced equipment as well as cold and dark rooms.
Challenges
Being a large and dated building, carrying out validation works of the existing services proved difficult. Furthermore the overall ventilation system was changed to variable air volume which put pressure on ensuring validations were correct when fed back to the design team.
Solution
KeyIS provided full pre-construction services and worked with the client’s consultant to produce a scheme. We provided full mechanical and electrical services including BMS, upgrade of the entire ventilation system to VAV, medical gases and new fume extract ventilation system for the fume cupboards installed.
The Results
The project was a finalist for the ‘Integration & Collaborative Working’ category at the ‘Constructing Excellence in the North East’ awards.
Professor Barry Hirst of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University said, “The new open plan laboratory is of the highest quality required to deliver outstanding research of the highest international quality. The new facility has brought together key researchers, previously working across the building and city, into a single laboratory. This is already allowing for new opportunities to share techniques and build stronger collaborations.”
