Burlington, MA – Spagnolo Gisness & Associates, Inc. (SG&A) recently received the 2011 International Interior Design Association New England Chapter Award for Best Research Facility for its interior design of the Palomar Medical Technologies facility. Nordblom Development Company developed the project and served as project manager for Palomar. Erland Construction constructed the building. AHA Consulting Engineers provided the MEP/FP/Tel/Data engineering.
“To me, the success of the Palomar project lies in the way the vision of Palomar’s corporate leaders was brought to life by the talents and execution of the design and construction team. These efforts produced a world class corporate headquarters building that supports the clients business and financial goals.” said Stephen Logan Senior Vice President, Development Nordblom Company.
The build-out entailed construction of a 132,000sf building with expansion potential of an additional 48,000sf. The new corporate headquarters building is a three-story design with striking masonry and glass construction.
Erland built a 3-dimensional BIM model that was used primarily for clash detection. The building’s MEP systems support manufacturing, laboratory, and office space, so the clash detection ensured that all issues with fitting systems into the building were fixed in the model before construction began.
“Our model’s accuracy and detail allowed the plumbing subcontractor to completely prefabricate the building’s bathrooms – ultimately saving significant time.” explained Tom Blesso Senior Vice President Erland Construction and Project Executive for the Palomar project. “At the project’s conclusion, we worked with the client to convert the finished model into an electronic as-built that is compatible with their Facilities Management System.”
SG&A worked with Palomar to develop a design for the new building with flexibility at its core. The result is a cohesive, highly adjustable environment that allows for lab sizes to easily change. The 1st floor accommodates all of Palomar’s manufacturing and fulfillment operations. The second floor is dedicated to labs and R&D with associated office space. The third floor is strictly office space with built in flexibility to segment it for potential sublet opportunities. It has a fitness center and a kitchen/cafeteria with an outdoor patio. The patio accommodates the entire company for communal meals, a Palomar tradition. A central spine on the middle floor allows for the natural light to be accessible to perimeter office areas. By selecting workstations half the height of the old system, day lighting to the building’s interior is further improved and the employee’s ability to interact, while simultaneously maintaining a level of individual privacy.
Part of the design solution includes a lab layout that is accessible, flexible, and connected to the users’ offices – with special attention paid to security requirements for their proprietary research. The new facility creates a significantly greater level of synergy as well as highly improved operational efficiency. The final result is a contemporary manufacturing, R&D and office facility with form and function that supports and enhances Palomar’s goals for its current and future operations.
In addition to creating better work spaces and employee amenities, Palomar was also interested in improving its interaction with clients, investors and potential partners. The challenge was not only to display finished products but to use the building’s design and organization to tell the story behind product creation. By showcasing daily operations, Palomar demonstrates their scientific inventiveness, commitment to client safety and satisfaction, and dedication to product excellence – everything that goes into each laser device that Palomar designs, tests and produces on site. To meet this challenge, the SG&A design team created an organized
layout sequence that allows visitor observation of key processes without disturbing operations: glimpses of the workings within the labs through glass walls off the main lobby; a clean, open and well-organized manufacturing area; and an inviting, accessible spa-like clinical space.
“AHA has “grown up” with the Life Science Industry, therefore, we are very careful to listen to the specific needs of each client. Palomar is on the cutting edge of Laser Technology and has been a pioneer in the field. The biggest challenge is anticipating future growth and controlling capitol costs to achieve desired future performance.” said Martin J. Holloran, PE, President AHA Consulting Engineers.
Sustainability was also an important operational goal. The building systems include a high efficiency variable volume roof top units with MERV 13 filtration, non-CFC refrigerants, ECM motors on all fan-powered boxes, a central automatic lighting control system as well as fluorescent lighting systems with occupancy sensors, and automatic toilets, urinals and sinks.
Other environmentally friendly materials and equipment were selected throughout including linoleum tile, recessed grid entrance mats, bike racks, showers, and Energy Star appliances. Landscape is designed with native, drought-tolerant planting and utilizes weather based irrigation controllers to limit the use of potable water.
“SG&A assisted us in creating a sophisticated facility that reflects our commitment to research and dedication to high production standards,” said Dan Valente, Executive Chairman, Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. “We are so pleased its design, and the SG&A team, received this prestigious recognition from their peers.”
“It was a great pleasure to collaborate with Dan and his team at Palomar,” said Steve Cunningham, AIA, LEED AP, Principal-in-Charge of the SG&A design team. “IIDA NE’s Best Research Facility Award is a recognition that we share with Palomar, as well as the rest of our design, development and construction partners on the project.”
Tom Blesso summarized saying, “Every project has its challenges but the collaboration and teamwork on Palomar was exceptional. I am not only proud of the final product, but also of the professional and efficient process by which it was delivered.”