University of Minnesota, Molecular and Cellular Therapeutic Facility
St. Paul, MinnesotaWhen the University of Minnesota Medical School needed facilities to house an intense bioclean manufacturing process for a pioneering pharmaceutical, it turned to HGA. HGA responded to the U of M's highly specialized needs with an efficient, cost-effective design that was able to accommodate four independent functions under one roof, yet provided the physical separation and independent systems required to ensure the safety and purity of the process. The four zones - BioPharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant, Small Animal Research, Quality Control Lab and Administration - demanded strict operational and building systems separation as a key design element. HGA met these program requirements through plan organization and seven levels of building pressurization with redundant mechanical and electrical backup. Perhaps most importantly, the building was planned to be flexible for future use. The floor plate and structure can be adapted to a range of laboratory and office functions, allowing the space to be used by the University nearly indefinitely. This facility's architectural concept responds effectively to the context of the University's Veterinary Science campus. As part of an area that will contain a series of agriculturally related "out buildings," the basic shape of the facility is barn-like. The materials of the building's exterior relate to the brick masonry of adjacent structures. Sloped metal roofs, very common to this type of barn structure, are broken up visually by gables and provide access or ventilation.