Cambridge, MA – Science park owner West Cambridge Science Park LLC (WCSP) teamed up recently with Sea-Dar Construction in the creation of a new 14,000sf ground-up lab building in the Fresh Pond area of Cambridge.
Construction Management firm Sea-Dar worked with owner’s representative Jonathan Lavash, architect Margolis + Fishman, and AHA Consulting Engineers on behalf of WCSP.
The newly constructed lab building was built for Avastus Preclinical Services, a firm that supports the biotech/pharma industry with high-quality research services and facilities.
The construction began with the installation of 112 70-ft.-deep pressure injected piles (PIFS) that were needed to support the new single-story masonry and steel structure. A majority of the building contains a variety of lab spaces designed to enable different types of clinical research. These areas all contain lab-grade casework and tops and 11,000sf of seamless flooring. The remainder of the building houses office space, conference, and dining areas.
A sophisticated mechanical room was constructed to house the complex systems installed to maintain humidity control and water systems for the building. Three high-efficiency packaged make-up air units working in unison provide conditioned air for laboratories and 100% outside air for lab pressurization and exhaust.
The system, as designed and installed, ensures complete redundancy and continuous operation.
The humidification for the labs is provided by a Cleaver Brooks high-quality steam, high-fuel efficiency tubeless gas-fired boiler. The humidification system was engineered with all components required for a complete system including water softener and chemical treatment.
The energy management control system ensures tight control of room temperature, humidity levels, room pressures, and alarming.
The building was completed and occupied in late 2018. West Cambridge Science Park is looking to continue its partnership with Sea-Dar Construction to develop additional lab space in the park.
