Amicus Therapeutics

A fit-out of two levels of a 14-story former office building, allowing this biotech company to expand. The new lab space serves researchers developing treatments for rare and orphan diseases.

The new consolidated R&D facility accommodates five departments with varying space needs: bio-analytics, biochemistry and cell biology, in-vivo pharmacology and protein sciences. The space also includes technical operations and shared lab functions, for a total of 26,680-DGSF of lab space.

The design incorporates adaptable open labs (including BSL2), histology, radioisotope labs, a shared glasswash and labs devoted to sensitive analysis instrumentation including more than a dozen mass spectrometers and HPLCs. The modular labs will accommodate future changes due to equipment and personnel, corporate growth, space reassignments between departments and the provision of natural light.

Because the building was designed for offices, the floor to ceiling height was a challenge to accommodate a lab function. HERA investigated alternative exhaust arms (snorkels) that could fit the height available. The team also carefully considered if the floor could support the large upright glassware washer and autoclave, and the number of fume hoods had to be restricted based on the amount of conditioned air the site could use overall. The existing column locations also had to be planned around as lab layouts were developed.