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Feigin Center exterior. Photo: Aker/ Zvonkovic Photography
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The Project:
Texas Children’s Hospital, Feigin Center vertical expansion. Project added eight floors and more than 200,000 ft2 of space to an existing 12-floor research building.
This project received an Honorable Mention in the 2010 Lab of the Year competition for its intelligent approach to the formidable task of vertical expansion, keeping existing research operational during construction, creating improvements to the building’s HVAC and lab planning scheme, expanding the vivarium, accommodating special new functions, and crafting a “beacon of hope” for the institution through a thoughtful revision of the existing architectural design.
The Team (all of Houston):
FKP Architects (architect, lab planner); Burns Delatte McCoy Inc. (MEP engineer); Walter P Moore (structural/civil engineer); Inventure Design (interiors); White Oak Studio (landscape architect); W.S. Bellows Construction (contractor).
The Users:
Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) receives one of the largest amounts of National Institutes of Health research funding of any pediatric institution in the nation. The building houses more than 120 principal investigators and their research teams and support staff, involved in ~800 basic research and clinical studies in areas including genetics, cancer, neurology, cardiology, neonatology, diabetes, asthma and infectious diseases.
The Schedule:
In 2006, TCH embarked on a landmark expansion project, Vision 2010 Excellence to Eminence. A major component of the $1.5 billion program was the extension of the institution’s translational research component. Construction commenced with a “roof-breaking” ceremony in January 2007, and the completed project was rededicated in February 2009.
The Goals:
Built in 1991, Feigin Center was initially created as a clinical building. Vertical expansion—the only possible method in the land-locked TCH campus—was always envisioned, and the structure was prepared accordingly, with a simple rectangular floorplate, 14-ft floor-to-floor heights and a robust foundation. In 1996, FKP Architects was hired to help TCH create new campus master plan. As part of this effort, the strategic decision was made to turn Feigin into a research building and create a new clinical facility. The research renovation, which involved creation of a large exterior chase to accommodate increased air supply and exhaust, was completed in 2002.
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In less than 20 years, Feigin Center has had three lives: opened as a clinical care center in 1991 (left); adapted to a 12-story research building (2002); and vertically expanded to a 20-story tower (2009). Photos courtesy of FKP Architects
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Four years later, as part of the Vision 2010 goal of expanding translational research capabilities, TCH decided to add eight more floors, encompassing lab and office space. A small ground-level addition required additional structural enhancement to allow vertical expansion of the existing vivarium and creation of a new animal imaging center.
During the planning, the client took advantage of the opportunity to analyze how existing labs were used, seeking possible modifications in the lab module for better functionality. An analysis of HVAC design and operations, with an eye to energy savings, was also part of the process. In addition, TCH decided to not only provide general lab space similar to what was available on the lower floors, but also to create a GMP facility for its Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, which preps cell and gene therapy products for use in clinical trials.
Another unique aspect of the program was a simulation center—a learning lab where healthcare providers train with high-fidelity manikins as well as actors standing in as patients, including exam rooms and two large simulation theatres that can be configured as anything from an emergency room to an operating room. This program element was added when the client received a large donation to build another research building, making lab space originally planned for the neurology group available for a different purpose.
The expansion of Feigin Center also offered an opportunity to make a bold design statement and set a new aesthetic for Texas Children’s flagship main campus. Since it would become the campus’ tallest structure, the building would be an icon.
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In the new labs, reconfiguration to remove “non-lab” functions reduced operational and construction costs and energy consumption, and also provided a more efficient space for users. Key: 1=office suite; 2=conference; 3=collaboration area; 4=laboratories; 5=lab support; 6=staff office area. (North is at the top of the plan.) Plan: FKP Architects
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The Solutions:
To streamline HVAC and provide enough mechanical capability for safe and efficient operations, the redesign involved rearrangement of the existing rooftop layout.
In the 2009 expansion, all fans were incorporated into a new manifold system. The 13th floor, formerly the roof, was designated as a full interstitial mechanical floor, housing manifolds and primary outside air pretreatment handling units for the seven new floors above.
Staging for success Planning for safe operations during the expansion of Feigin Center was a top priority—particularly with regard to the HVAC expansion and redesign. As the contractor mobilized on the roof, to begin creating a new interstitial mechanical floor at the 13th level, there were concerns about possible hazardous fume exposure.
The upblast fans’ configuration allowed the contractor to add vertical stacks at each new floor during construction, to discharge the fumes a minimum of 15 ft above the workers. Lab users in the existing facility participated in a painstaking process of planning when fume hoods would be off-line and reconnected. The air stream was continuously monitored automatically by equipment that would alert workers in the event of hazardous conditions.
Exhaust fans were replaced when the roof was complete, and the vertical ducts used for personnel protection were repurposed to exhaust the manifold left in place on the 13th floor. No air quality alarms occurred during the construction.
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Labs are designed on a generic footprint incorporating a movable lab wall system and flexible casework. Colors are drawn from TCH’s pediatric clinical environment. Photo: Aker/Zvonkovic Photography
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Unlike the lower floors, each of which has its own air handling unit, consolidated systems were created on the 13th floor to allow pairs of AHUs for each quadrant of the expansion. The mechanical level also includes emergency generators and a data center for communication networks.
Planning was also required to assure the client that construction would not affect breeding patterns of the mouse colony in the building. TCH used vibration-monitoring equipment that allowed placement of accelerometers in specific locations in the vivarium as well as on the 12th floor, to collect data and identify vibration spikes. Most spikes occurred in normal business hours and were caused by regular operations, such as the cagewashing process or normal cycling of air handlers, rather than by construction activities.
Levels 14 and 15 now consist of clinical research offices; the 16th level houses the GMP lab; the 17th and 18th levels are general research labs; the 19th floor holds the simulation/training center; and the 20th floor is also office space. All office levels in the expansion have been planned for future conversion to lab space if necessary. The floor-to-floor height in the addition is 14-ft, 6-in.—still tight by current standards but allowing a bit more breathing room than the prior 14-ft scheme while not radically changing the building design.
The 2002 revision placed open lab space at the east and west perimeters, with office suites on the north side, core labs on the south side (against the external mechanical chase), and conference, common and support space in the building core.
When planning the new lab space, the designers studied researchers’ use of the existing space. The primary change for the upper lab floors consisted of increased collaboration space, as requested by the researchers. Labs were standardized on a 6-ft movable bench system (Hamilton MaxWall), and nonlab functions were shifted to other zones on the floor. High-density storage in a central storage room also helped make the lab space more efficient, removing some prior storage functions from of this valuable and expensive space.
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The pediatric simulation center is one of the few such facilities nationwide. A six-room exam suite is designed to TCH standards; the staff records interactions with a state-of-the-art AV system. Photo: Aker/Zvonkovic Photography
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Creating so much lab space (current and planned) in a tower did pose code problems for the planning team. Though the International Building Code provides for increasing occupancy levels from B to H (hazardous) as a building rises, allowing chemical use in high spaces, the local code did not allow any H occupancy within 1,000 ft of schools, hospitals or residences. A special task force, consisting of members of the design team and local authorities, met multiple times, resulting in a revision of the city code to allow for up to 10% H occupancy per floor of combined spaces, with no more than 500 ft2 per H occupancy room. The change benefited not just TCH but all of the city’s other high-rise medical and research facilities.
The GMP facility required special features, since it consists of many small closed rooms instead of large open labs. It contains two specialized zones: a cell processing facility and a vector production facility. The cell facility has of 12 Class 10,000 manufacturing suites plus facilities for cell freezing and storage, flow cytometry, cold storage, cell separation and analysis. The vector production facility has seven Class 10,000 manufacturing suites between clean and dirty corridors to produce clinicalgrade vector preparations. Staff in a large QC lab on this floor perform and coordinate testing of the products created here.
The labs’ special requirements necessitate an ISO 7 environment, provided by HEPA-filtered supply air and high air exchange rates.
Adding researchers to the building meant that the vivarium needed to be expanded as well. Phase 1 included renovation of 10,000 ft2 of first-floor offices into a rodent facility with an interior perimeter security wall to protect the vivarium from the glass exterior. A small addition to the southeast corner of the building added dedicated elevators and an expanded cage wash. The second-floor expansion area was dedicated to a 7,500-ft2 small-animal imaging center, surgical suite and related animal housing. Accommodating the 9-Tesla MRI demanded structural enhancement through three sub-ground levels of parking previously not designed to vertically expand.
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Feigin’s existing roof was riddled with small fans from the original lab exhaust. The project team was faced with the relocation of existing exhausts, affecting a total of 125 hoods within the building. Photo courtesy of FKP Architect
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The Highlights:
The client and team took the opportunity to analyze energy use in the building by testing an Aircuity demand-ventilation system on two of the existing floors. Analysis of results from the system’s air sampling revealed that the air in the labs was “clean” more than 99% of the time; in fact, spills had to be artificially created to trigger any alarm condition. Due to the analysis, outside air quantities were reduced from 15 to only 4 air changes per hr during normal lab operations, ramping to higher levels if contamination is sensed. The demand-ventilation system was implemented in the new lab space, and will be gradually phased in on existing lab floors.
Not only did the expansion improve facilities for science’ it also created a more appealing environment for both occupants and visitors. By moving air chases to the interior, outstanding views were opened at the south façade atop the mechanical bump-out created in the 2002 redesign. A series of two-story collaboration spaces now provide enhanced opportunities for interaction and relaxation.
These rooms are lit at night as part of the building’s new “beacon” function. Large ductwork is also visible from the outdoors within the “beacon,” providing a sculptural feature and a reminder of the high-intensity demands of the science within.
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With a very limited site, the vivarium had to expand vertically. A small addition to the exterior added dediated elevators and expanded cage wash; the second-floor expansion area was edicated to a 7,500 ft2 small-animal imaging center with a 9-Tesla MRI, PET/CT imaging and associated facilities. Photo: Aker/ Zvonkovic Photography
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As part of this reimagining of the façade, the design team also introduced a new glazing material, breaking out of the prior rigid scheme of red granite and champagne-colored glass. Ten styles of glass were analyzed in lower-floor temporary installations. The high-performance clear glass ultimately chosen for the expansion features ceramic-frit glare control for greater energy efficiency.
Matching the granite cladding was made easier by the fact that some panels had been saved from the prior renovation. Five of these were shipped to the Texas quarry that had previously supplied the material, for matching purposes, resulting in a seamless result when new stone was taken from the section of the quarry that was originally used. Ultimately, 14 “saved” panels were also incorporated in the new facility.
The building’s continued occupancy during construction added complexity to the task of construction and was a highlight of the project’s execution.
The Results:
Lab of the Year judges were impressed with the team’s creative solutions. “This was a challenging assignment to expand vertically with all the fixed constraints of floorplate size, perimeter, central core and structural grid to accommodate a highly diverse program,” says judge Andy Vazzano, AIA, SmithGroup. “What set this project apart was the design and systems and constructability approach to expand while keeping all lower floors in operation in minimal disruption.”
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Air chases were moved to the interior, opening outstanding views to the south for the building’s signature two-story collaboration spaces. Photo: Aker/Zvonkovic Photography
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Judge Erik Mollo-Christensen, AIA, Tsoi/ Kobus, praised the teamwork between designers and client. “The lesson for users and owners is that success is more likely with a team than a fee-competitive separate selection of architects and contractors. It is clear that collaboration with the users throughout the planning and design gave them the confidence the project would work and operations would continue.”
Brian Kowalchuk, AIA, HDR/CUH2A, says, “This was a masterful solution for a currentday facilities directors’ challenge: How do you use what you have more effectively, rather than building on a new greenfield site. This project involved a mixture of activities and functions, working with code challenges and restrictions to an advantage—how to take an old, tired building and make it sparkle.”
The contact:
Cynthia Walston, AIA, LEED AP, FKP Architects, 713-621-2100, cwalston@fkp.com.