In order to centralize its biobanks, UZ Leuven - KU Leuven is building a new facility. In research building O&N4 (KU Leuven) on the Gasthuisberg campus, an area of 2,500 m² is being provided for this purpose. The construction of a central biobank including cryotheque requires not only professional equipment but also a high-performance technical installation.
The facility will consist of 450 m² office space, technical areas and a quality lab, an 800 m² area with more than 250 refrigerator-freezers now scattered here and there across campus, and a 325 m² area for the storage of 80 cryogenic vessels for UZ Leuven. This makes the new facility the largest of its kind far beyond Leuven and Belgium. In addition, a new cryotheque (35 vessels) is also being built for KU Leuven. In those cryotheques, samples are stored in liquid nitrogen vessels at -196°C. The centralization should better guarantee the quality of the stored material. About 30 employees will be active in the new facility.
In this project, Ingenium is responsible for the determination of the concept, the technical design, the site follow-up and the sustainability and EPB aspects. For the permit application, the supervision of the demolition, the structural works and the interior design, we are assisted by the architectural firm Felix & Partners. Engineering firm Provoost answers the stability questions. The cooling plant and high and low voltage facilities are realized in collaboration with Deerns nv.
The activities in the various premises fall under a variety of regulations. In addition to diagnostic services and scientific research, activities related to medicinal applications to humans (GMP) include therapeutic banks, tissue and cell banks, human body material (MLM) banks and GMP production facilities. Diversification in access control ensures that only those approved to work in a specific area are allowed there.
A maximum number of liquid nitrogen vessels are stored in this room with minimal support and in compliance with safety requirements. Most of the vessels are intended for long-term storage. They are connected to an automatic filling system. This is linked to the building management system in which alarms are also programmed if the filling level of the barrels exceeds certain thresholds.
The other nitrogen vessels - with "manual" filling - are for short-term storage or transport. With the vessels for transport belong data loggers that are stored in a closed cabinet. They are important for checking these vessels at regular intervals from a safety standpoint and replacing them if necessary.
Liquid nitrogen is also made available to a number of UZ Leuven users from this room. The tapping point is autonomously accessible from the common central corridor.
The existing and new biobank room will have a maximum number of cooling units installed with minimal support. The units have temperatures of 4°C, -20°C, -80°C and -156°C and will be connected to the building management system for temperature logging, monitoring and alarms. A flexible arrangement where cooling units can be easily moved and reconnected was a key requirement. The techniques were provided accordingly. Ample attention was also paid to dissipating the enormous amount of heat produced by the refrigerators - which would otherwise shorten their lifespan. Access to the new room from the central common corridor is sufficiently spacious to allow easy entry or exit of appliances.
Ingenium was in charge of BIM management during the entire design and construction process. All construction partners designed in BIM and during execution we took care of the coordination of the 3D plans between the contractors.
For more info on biobanks/cry libraries, contact Jan Robert at 050 40 45 30 or jan.robert@ingenium.be
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