Extension I+D Laboratories of Certest Biotec by Idom

Description of project by Idom

"Fight against the pathogens that cause infectious diseases"

This is the leitmotiv of Certest Biotec, leading biotechnology company in Spain and in the world, dedicated to the research, development and manufacture of sanitary products for in vitro diagnostics, which it exports to more than 70 countries.

In 2012, the company, which was born in the facilities of the European Center for Innovation Companies of Aragon (CEEI), decided to move to the industrial park of San Mateo de Gállego, on the outskirts of Zaragoza, building its own headquarters of 2,500 m² projected by IDOM This action was proposed as the first phase in a plot of 8,800 m² whose general arrangement arose from the development of a master plan.

In 2015, CERTEST decided to expand the existing headquarters with a new 3,200 m² building, which includes production spaces, warehouses, offices and laboratories with ISO 5, 6, 7 and 8 classification and biological risk biosecurity at level 3, adapted to the most demanding international pharmaceutical standards Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The expansion proposal is based on a natural growth model of the existing headquarters, in total harmony with the existing building, both for the purpose of alignments and volume and façade materials, so that the whole appears as a unique performance.

The new building consists of attaching a new arm of laboratories parallel to the one of the first phase and connected to a central body where the offices, the warehouse and the new zones of production and packaging of the product are housed, ready for its international expedition.

Both existing buildings and extension, are connected by a double-level footbridge on ground and first floors. The new laboratories, as in the existing headquarters, are located in such a way that their orientation is always north.

With this, an excellent solar protection is achieved without resorting to solar protection systems, besides offering a great luminosity of the workspace and an important energy saving in summer. In contrast, that is, on the south façade, access circulations to laboratories are considered.

And between both, we place the service spaces annexed to the laboratories, so that they can connect directly to them and that they can see their work machinery surface released (cameras, etc.).

Internally the laboratory circulations are arranged according to the GMP quality requirements so as not to cross the flows of people-materials and inputs-outputs, and prevent contamination in the production process. 

These circulations are opposedin both facades, being the largest staff to locate jobs for workers. This space, oriented to the south, is equipped with double-height light wells: light that is reflected in colored lacquered glass coverings to provide greater warmth. On the contrary, the laboratories are oriented to the north to avoid solar incidence and at 
the same time allow the entry of natural light without sun, for maximum comfort of the users.

This aspect is improved and complemented with a landscape window that allows a total visual transparency between laboratories. We achieve healthier work spaces without affecting the technical demands of laboratories.

Each white room requires the placement of large and independent equipment and ducts to achieve the treatment of fine air particles, to air-condition and generate differential overpressures in each passenger compartment.

This forces to superpose on all the equivalent surface of the laboratories a great technical plant to lodge the facilities, accessible of independent form for the maintenance without contaminating the rooms.

Finally, the heavy equipment of treatment of air of cover are hidden by the breastplate of two meters of façade. The façade envelope is presented as a great veil, translucent, subtle, light and clean, using microperforated sheet and rigid steel panel.

Its low cost and image at the same time technological and refined, acts at the same time as a solar protection filter keeping the visuals from the inside and the contribution of natural light. 

The resulting volumetric image, with an integrating spirit in its urban and landscape environment, tries to impress elegance in its simplicity while hiding under the hood the powerful interior machine that feeds the more than 1300 m² of clean rooms.

Sensitive to energy saving and sustainable development, active strategies have consisted of air conditioning the facilities with cold production fed by geothermal wells. In turn, the heat generated by the chiller, whose operation is necessary all year round for clean rooms, is reused. to heat the offices in winter.

Finally, the laboratories are partially cooled in winter with external air by free cooling. The set of these systems allows an energy saving equivalent to the annual consumption of 14 homes.