NIH NCI Building T30 Cell Processing Modular Facility
NIH NCI Building T30 Cell Processing Modular Facility | Bethesda, Maryland
The Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) Cell Processing Modular Facility is the first large-scale, fully prefabricated and modular multi-module cGMP manufacturing facility of its kind ever built in the United States. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) will utilize the facility to deliver cutting-edge cancer treatment.
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Project Details
With a footprint spanning approximately 6,000-sq.-ft., the TIL Cell Processing Modular Facility is supported by an auger pile foundation drilled as deep as 30-ft. The structure has three levels: a bottom floor “crawl space” that follows the existing site slope, containing gas piping that includes the supplies of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) to the facility, a first floor comprising the 10 prefabricated modules, which include ISO-7 manufacturing suites, an ISO-7 cell processing unit, and ISO-8 anteroom,; and a mechanical floor above.
The oversized modules, which span an average 11x40-ft. each and weigh between 40,000 to 50,000 pounds include cell manufacturing suites, cell processing suites, cleanroom lab space, a cold storage room and office spaces. The mechanical level contains the building’s HVAC system, including two air handling units and two exhaust fans, an electrical conduit for building controls and power systems, IT infrastructure and more.
ENR Best of the Best Manufacturing
Project
National Institute of Health NCI Building T30 Cell Processing Modular Facility project was named ENR Mid-Atlantic Best Manufacturing Project for 2021 and the national Best of the Best Manufacturing project.
Prefabricated Modules
In early December 2019, ten prefabricated modules began arriving on the NIH campus, the final stop on their journey from subcontractor Germfree’s Ormond Beach, Florida manufacturing facility.
As the modules arrived on-site and over the next couple of weeks, construction crews undertook an extremely complex rigging procedure to move the modules into place. It involved a carefully choreographed sequence of rigging and hoisting the 40,000- to 50,000-pound modules some 35 to 40 feet into the air, over the structural steel exterior building envelope and through the open roof to set them in place on their foundations.
Maximizing Safety
Working in the heart of the NIH campus, DPR developed a strong knowledge of NIH safety requirements and regulations, ensuring all contractors complied with OSHA regulations and the US Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health Manual 385-1-1 and held the required safety certifications.
The entire operation took place just 40 feet from two adjacent, fully operational medical and research buildings with heavy foot traffic from NIH campus researchers, patients, staff and visitors. For safety during the module installation, DPR worked with its design-build team to develop a complex rigging plan that protected both workers and NIH personnel, even as project elements changed. By constructing the building’s exterior structural steel before installing the modules—essentially building the structure from outside in—the plan required the team to drop the modules in through the roof.
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