Life Science meets Construction

Building 16 @ Octapharma

Building 3 © Octapharma

Clinical Laboratory 22 © Octapharma

Clinical Laboratory 31 © Octapharma

Labor Biotechnology 1 © Octapharma

Ventilation 1 © Octapharma

Two groundbreaking Life Sciences construction projects were on the agenda of a press tour organized by consultant and project manager Drees & Sommer at the end of February. Visits included the research and development center of Octapharma and the manufacturing building of Biotest AG, which is under construction. Both companies not only produce life-saving medications from human plasma or recombinant products but also relied on Drees & Sommer for their construction projects. Because construction projects in the life sciences sector are challenging: not only must costs and schedules meet the client's targets, but the project must also withstand the strict scrutiny of authorities.

Manufacturers of plasma products are expanding – for several reasons: an increasingly aging and growing global population, a rising number of autoimmune diseases, new indications for immunoglobulins even in chronic illnesses, and an increasing number of overweight individuals are driving a worldwide demand for immunoglobulins. To meet this growth, new research, development, and production spaces are needed. With many years of experience in this field, Drees & Sommer's specialists in pharmaceutical construction presented two example projects: the research and development center of Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals GmbH, a subsidiary of Octapharma AG, and the production building of Biotest AG. Visitors gained insight into the particular challenges of such projects. The focus of the two tours was different: while the Octapharma project has been completed since 2012, the Biotest AG production building is still under construction.

Octapharma in Heidelberg: Space for Research

Octapharma is one of the world's largest producers of human protein products and has been committed to patient welfare and medical progress since 1983. Octapharma develops and produces human proteins from human plasma and cell cultures. With over 6,000 employees worldwide, Octapharma supports the treatment of patients in the fields of immunotherapy, hematology, and intensive care medicine in over 100 countries. Since the former location for recombinant research in Martinsried near Munich no longer met the increased requirements, Octapharma acquired a site in Heidelberg's Technology Park in 2009. The modern research and development center has been operational since 2012 and impresses with 10,000 square meters of light-filled space.

The new site in the Technology Park, representing an investment of 25 million euros for Octapharma, meets all the requirements of the rapidly growing biotech company: proximity to both university hospitals and numerous reputable medical and clinical facilities. In addition to research in recombinant proteins, the company is also advancing the development and clinical production of new medications at the Heidelberg site.

The new center houses offices and conference rooms, research and development spaces, as well as laboratories for the clinical production of new medication developments. To accommodate further growth, expansion areas are located on the second floor and ground floor. The GMP-compliant laboratories, where sensitive research and development work takes place under strict safety precautions, are on the ground floor and first upper floor.

The life sciences specialists from Drees & Sommer accompanied the project during planning and construction as project controllers and project managers. This ensured not only precise adherence to budgets but also the timely relocation of staff to the new Heidelberg site. "The construction project was and remains very important to us. That’s why we sought very professional and targeted project management, which we found at Drees & Sommer," said Holger Pfründer, Head of Project Management at Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals GmbH.

Biotest in Dreieich: Investing in the Future

The journey continued toward Dreieich, where Biotest AG is headquartered. The specialist in the production of medications from human plasma has a history spanning 70 years. To stay fit for the future, the company is advancing the "Biotest Next Level" program and investing a total of around 250 million euros in expanding its production. The goal is to double production capacity from 5.5 to around 13 tons of immunoglobulins per year. Additionally, the new facility will produce five instead of the current three products from one liter of plasma. This significantly increases the profitability and competitiveness of Biotest AG.

Since the new building is being constructed on the former employee parking lot, Biotest AG initially built a new parking garage with a total of 700 parking spaces within just six months. In addition to a new central production facility, there are also areas for offices, laboratories, and raw material storage. Instead of approximately 950 employees today, around 1,250 will work at the Dreieich location in the future. "For projects of this size, it is important that the client equips themselves with expertise in all areas. The long-standing experience of Drees & Sommer is a valuable addition to our own know-how and capacities," said Michael Moritz, Managing Director of Biotest Pharma GmbH and project leader of Biotest Next Level.

The production building is being constructed using modular construction with prefabricated and semi-finished components. This significantly accelerates the construction progress: in October 2015, Biotest AG celebrated a topping-out ceremony. Besides the modern construction method, other factors also play an important role: "This rapid project execution is only possible because the entire planning team, including the client, regularly and closely coordinates across all disciplines in weekly workshops," explains Rino Woyczyk, Partner and Head of the Life Sciences Division at Drees & Sommer. The consulting firm oversees the entire planning, procurement, and realization of the structural, building services, process engineering, and production technical systems for this project.

The new facility is currently in the technical commissioning phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016. The five-story production building, which offers a view of the Frankfurt skyline in good weather, rises 32 meters high. The entire production process mainly takes place on three levels, each with a ceiling height of 7.50 meters. Support areas such as the ventilation center (top floor) and the black and sterile media supply (basement) are located above and below these levels. A combined heat and power plant supplies energy. It is housed in a separate building connected to the main building via an underground accessible tunnel. The new building is scheduled for completion by 2017 and will go into operation after qualification and validation starting in 2019.