No pharmacy shelf fits better

With the new construction at the location of the German branch, DEVELCO is taking the manufacturing process of its pharmaceuticals into its own hands for the first time. (Image credit: Burckhardt+Partner)

With the new construction at the location of the German branch, DEVELCO is taking the manufacturing process of its pharmaceuticals into its own hands for the first time. (Image credit: Burckhardt+Partner)

In the new DEVELCO production areas, an LW PHARMA TERRAZZO by LEONHARD WEISS Floor Technology has been installed as a cleanroom floor. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

The appearance of LW PHARMA TERRAZZO is very similar to real terrazzo: With matte or silk-matte surfaces in various shades, it can be individually adapted to the respective application area. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

The ground consists of a granular material that is mixed directly on the construction site with a binder to form a homogeneous mortar and applied as a single, continuous, jointless floor surface. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

The advantage of the cleanroom floor: maximum flexibility. Because the interior walls are only erected after the floor has been laid. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

After erecting the walls, the wall connections can also be completed with the paste-like granulate-binding mixture and sealing in a second step. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

Unlike pre-fabricated slab or roll products, the LW PHARMA TERRAZZO easily adapts to shapes and details on site. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

The LW PHARMA TERRAZZO could be disinfected just as effectively as stainless steel in a test: For all tested germs, the contamination was reduced by more than 5 log10 steps after disinfection. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

All floor connections such as pedestal attachments, cleanroom drains, slope formations, pipe penetrations, floor scales, and other apparatuses, as well as three-sided wall-floor transitions, remain sealed and closed. (Image credit: © LEONHARD WEISS)

Planning and implementation of pharmaceutical production are complex projects. Cost-intensive design changes are not uncommon. Therefore, flexible space allocation within the production building is even more important, allowing adjustments without additional effort when needed. This is also well understood by DEVELCO Pharma. For a new building in Schopfheim, the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer relied on LEONHARD WEISS Flooring Technology GmbH & Co. KG: With LW PHARMA TERRAZZO, LEONHARD WEISS installed a cleanroom floor that easily adapts to layout changes and architectural details. At the same time, the PHARMA TERRAZZO is as hygienic as stainless steel.

Comprehensive expertise from a single source and a cleanroom terrazzo whose external and internal qualities are absolutely convincing – this is what LEONHARD WEISS has been offering for over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. One of the latest examples is the production building completed in 2016 for DEVELCO Pharma in Schopfheim. The Swiss company has made a name for itself internationally through the development of generic and innovative pharmaceutical products with specialized active ingredient delivery. With the new building at the location of its German subsidiary, DEVELCO is taking control of its medication manufacturing process for the first time. The new pharmaceutical production facility manufactures solid oral medications.

New construction within an existing building complex

The four-story building integrates into the existing complex, which already houses the development laboratory and administration of DEVELCO Pharma GmbH. With a footprint of approximately 1,300 m2 and a gross volume of around 28,600 m3, it offers space for up to 100 employees. The architectural firm Burckhardt+Partner is responsible for the design planning and construction management. Since the site is located in a residential neighborhood, the exterior appearance was designed to blend with the surrounding buildings. Architect Rolf Rode explains the design concept: “To prevent the building from appearing as an industrial structure, the façade was plastered. Nevertheless, both the façade design and the arrangement of the glazing correspond to the processes inside the building.”

The exterior façade is divided into three sections: On the ground floor, strict slit windows and dark plaster define the appearance. Above, a two-story, color-contrasted façade band with lighter plaster is located. Varying sizes and positions of the glazing give the two middle floors a playful, dynamic look. The top floor consists of a clad lightweight construction.

In the new building, the production process runs continuously from top to bottom: The building services systems are located in the lightweight structure above the building. They are positioned as close as possible to the production rooms to ensure the necessary hygienic and climatic conditions. Behind the freely arranged windows, the fast production and packaging lines are hidden. The quality assurance laboratory is located on an intermediate floor, while the ground and basement floors mainly contain static elements such as the material and packaging storage.

Cleanroom floor for pharmaceutical manufacturing

To ensure the required hygienic conditions in the production and laboratory rooms, the choice was made for the LW PHARMA TERRAZZO cleanroom floor from LEONHARD WEISS Flooring Technology. This cleanroom floor complies with EU regulations for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing environments and is suitable for the pharmaceutical industry, medical technology, hospitals, and laboratories. Its appearance closely resembles real terrazzo: With matte or silk-matt surfaces in various color tones, such a floor can be customized to suit the specific application area.

LEONHARD WEISS Flooring Technology develops, produces, and installs cleanroom floors throughout Europe, especially for pharmaceutical manufacturing areas. Thanks to the company's broad expertise, it is not only capable of installing the floors itself but also of preparing the necessary substrate for an optimal floor structure. DEVELCO took advantage of this: The screed and cleanroom floor in the Schopfheim building were supplied by a single source.

Continuous floor surface increases flexibility

Whether and how well a pharmaceutical floor meets the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry depends on the material. A hygienic, easy-to-clean surface is, of course, one of the most important criteria. Another is the flexibility of the floor. The PHARMA TERRAZZO excels in both aspects – thanks to its unique composition. The floor consists of a granulate that is mixed directly on site with a binder to form a homogeneous mortar. This soft mixture is then applied as a 8 mm thick layer onto the screed, creating a seamless, continuous floor surface. After curing, the surface is sealed with multiple coats of synthetic resin, resulting in a smooth, jointless, highly durable, and pressure-resistant cleanroom floor covering.

The advantage: maximum flexibility. Because the interior walls are only erected after the floor is installed. Changes to the interior layout can still be made easily during construction. Since planning for pharmaceutical production often takes several years, LW PHARMA TERRAZZO enables pharmaceutical companies to design their spaces with unmatched flexibility. Even after installation, walls can be removed or repositioned on this cleanroom floor.

Unlike prefabricated panel or sheet products, PHARMA TERRAZZO adapts effortlessly to shapes and details on-site. After the walls are erected, wall connections can also be easily realized in a second step using the same paste-like granulate-binder mixture and sealing – with a solid three-corner profile that terminates flush with the wall without any protrusions. Even with complex shapes such as curves or challenging conditions like protruding corners or unusual angles, a hygienic, flawless floor can be created. The paste-like material applied at the detail transitions precisely adapts to the local conditions, forming a fully bonded connection. All floor connections, such as plinth integrations, cleanroom drains, slope formations, pipe penetrations, floor scales, and other equipment, as well as the three-corner wall-floor transitions, remain sealed and closed. This reliably prevents joints and cavities where germs could settle or infiltrate behind walls. In contrast, with wall connections using prefabricated cove profiles made of synthetic rubber or PVC, joints and cavities susceptible to infiltration can occur, which is often criticized during inspections.

Hygienic as stainless steel

How easy the PHARMA TERRAZZO is to clean was demonstrated by the Hohenstein Laboratories in Bönnigheim in late 2015 through a four-field comparison test between LW PHARMA TERRAZZO and stainless steel surfaces.

The disinfectability of both test surfaces was tested using a wipe test with a VAH-listed (Hygiene Applied Association) surface disinfectant. The terrazzo was just as effectively disinfected as stainless steel: In all tested cases, microbial contamination was reduced by more than 5 log10 steps after disinfection. The microbial load after cleaning with water and detergent was also tested. Here, the terrazzo proved to be comparable to stainless steel: The number of germs was reduced on both surfaces and for all tested microorganisms to nearly the same extent after cleaning. This demonstrably minimizes the cost and time involved in cleaning LW PHARMA TERRAZZO during ongoing operation.

Durable cleanroom floor for decades

It also becomes evident during ongoing operation how durable a cleanroom floor can be over the years. Thanks to its special construction, LW PHARMA TERRAZZO is particularly long-lasting and a highly sustainable industrial floor. Its lifespan easily exceeds 20 to 25 years, aligning with the typical lifespan of production machinery today. Unlike synthetic rubber or PVC coverings, which must be removed and disposed of as waste or special waste during renovation, PHARMA TERRAZZO can be reused as a substrate for a new floor without removal.

With LW PHARMA TERRAZZO, DEVELCO has chosen an extremely flexible, hygienic, and sustainable cleanroom floor for its new building in Schopfheim that will stand the test of time.

Project Data

Project: New pharmaceutical production building

Client: DEVELCO Pharma GmbH, 79650 Schopfheim

Architect: Burckhardt+Partner GmbH, 79639 Grenzach-Wyhlen

Construction period: 07/2015 to 10/2016

Floor installation: LEONHARD WEISS Flooring Technology GmbH & Co. KG

Cleanroom floor: LW Pharma Terrazzo by LEONHARD WEISS