Paul Joosten, director Kuijpers PHF Services

A complex design assignment with strict quality requirements and an extremely short construction time: you need to gather the best team in the Netherlands for that.

Technical services specialist Kuijpers won the tender for the HALIX biopharmaceutical production facility in Leiden and decided to collaborate intensively with EGM. Paul Joosten from Kuijpers discusses the intensive process undertaken with the architects and other experts to design and construct the new building within two years: ‘The client got great value for money.’

In early 2018, Kuijpers was commissioned by HALIX, part of the HAL Allergy Group, to design a high-quality biopharmaceutical production facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park to facilitate research by pharmaceutical companies. In a Design & Build contract, Kuijpers acted as the main contractor on the project, chosen on the basis of quality, demonstrated expertise, and a plan to complete construction within a relatively short space of time. Paul Joosten is director of Kuijpers PHF Services, a division within Kuijpers that specializes in cleanrooms and so-called containments: spaces where hygiene and safety are the most important criteria. Joosten was involved in the project right from the very first contact with HALIX.

 

Very approachable

‘We have various divisions within Kuijpers that we can deploy on such assignments. In preparing the tender, we formed a consortium of external experts that could put together a proposal for the client,’ explains Joosten. ‘We looked around for parties that we know and trust. We had previously worked on the Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis hospital with EGM: a pleasant company to work with, and they share our vision when it comes to BIM and integral design. Very good architects too, a highly professional company, yet very approachable. After all, you have to be able to enjoy a beer with one another now and again,’ says the native Limburger.

 

After all, you have to be able to enjoy a beer with one another now and again

 

Complex logistics

The consortium won the tender on the basis of quality. ‘Very satisfying when a client chooses you specifically on such grounds,’ Joosten adds. For Kuijpers, the form of tender (complete project) and the assignment for HALIX were new. ‘HALIX is a Contract Development Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) for pharmaceutical firms,’ Joosten points out. ‘It works with living material, such as proteins. Spaces must meet strict requirements for high containment, bio-security level (BSL) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) according to the Medicines Act. That means that each process is completely isolated from other processes within the building,’ explains Joosten. The ‘supply and removal’ of materials and people are separated – a so-called unidirectional flow. That makes the logistics within the building complex.

 

Designed in 2018, built for 2030

In collaborating with EGM, Kuijpers deployed the so-called Target Value Design Process. ‘You want a robust, hyper-functional building with a flexible layout. Moreover, the client wanted to cater for future growth. We were commissioned to design a building to meet the requirements of 2030, but to build it with the budget of 2018. That calls for an intensive and functional design process.’ Joosten smiles: ‘I don’t like waste, but I like quality: many choices were based on that. The building is made future-proof, although not everything was constructed immediately. The connections are in place. We delivered what we call a Total Concept of Controlled Environment. That’s a concept I believe in.’

 

Surprising floor layout

Cleanrooms usually consist of a box-in-box construction – often made in existing buildings. For HALIX it was possible to construct the building around the cleanrooms. That resulted in a striking layout on the upper levels. The perimeter of the floors is reserved for circulation. Production spaces are largely enclosed by transparent partitions. A striking aspect is the amount of daylight that enters the spaces. ‘That daylight truly is a gift,’ says Joosten. ‘The perimeter circulation route was a really good decision by EGM. As a technical person, I’d never have come up with that. You really have a facade behind the facade: the perimeter route also allows you to show the spaces to new clients without interrupting production. Here you can really see why we brought EGM on board.’

 

The perimeter circulation route was a really good decision. As a technical person, I’d never have come up with that

 

Parallel processes

The ambitious time frame was another challenge the design and construction team had to meet. Less than two years was available for the entire project. Right from the moment the tender was won, we worked on team building to get the design process up and running. ‘First it was down to EGM to obtain a building permit so that we could start construction. The office did fantastic work there by creatively thinking throughout the process. Then the whole team got down to work to reach the first milestone. That was a massive achievement!’ During construction there was a constant process of parallel design and construction flows. Joosten once again mentions the Target Value Design Process: ‘You make a design that can secure a building permit, but it must still be elaborated in a number of areas. Two days after obtaining the permit, we started driving piles into the ground. Work on the finishes began even before the shell was fully finished. The first floor could be used very soon. We would never have managed that without collaborating intensively,’ says Joosten.

 

Integral quality

Precisely because the building had to be of such high quality to meet the strictest possible safety and health requirements, the experts – EGM, the various divisions within Kuijpers and a number of other external specialists – communicated constantly with one another during the design process. With the constant pressure of that tight time schedule. ‘Such an integral approach means you learn so much in a short space of time. Sometimes you learn from things that don’t go right; that is inherent in the speed of design and construction. If certain decisions have not been properly researched, that is almost always down to a lack of time. You have to accept that and move on. I think the client got great value for money here.’

 

More architecture

The client did, in any case, get more architecture than Joosten had envisaged in advance. ‘We work in a world in which high-quality technology is hidden from view, even though it is so important. If we work with existing buildings, there is also very little architecture involved. This project proved to me once again just how fascinating and beautiful the profession of architecture is. It’s about daylight, about details, about how you make things.’ And for this project, EGM was exactly the right partner, he concludes contentedly. ‘On projects like this you want to work with the best office you can find.’

 

 

^{For the HALIX tender, Kuijpers formed a consortium with Du Prie Bouw & Ontwikkeling (building contractor), Cleanroom Combination Group (cleanrooms), IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs (structural engineers) and EGM architects (architecture firm).}

 

^{Caroline Kruit, journalist and publisher, interviewed Paul Joosten in februari 2020}

^{Project: HALIX}

^{Image: Kuijpers}