Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)’s Cell Manipulation Core Facility (CMCF) operation was expanded through renovation of a portion of the 11th floor and the full 12th floor of the existing Smith Building to meet increased volume and demand according to 6-year growth projections through 2020. The CMCF assists DFCI in developing new cell-based therapies for patients with cancer who are enrolled in novel therapeutic clinical research protocols. It also supports clinical research studies designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these novel treatments.
The expansion space accommodates Stem Cell Therapy (SCT) and Novel Cell Therapy (NCT) labs, which are designed to meet International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7 or ISO 8 clean room classifications. The CMCF is a 24/7 operation that required Department of Public Health and Federal Drug Administration certification and validation of the new lab space prior to occupancy.
AKF was hired to provide MEP / FP, Information Technology, and Security services for the project. Having worked with DFCI for many years on multiple projects, the AKF team’s familiarity with the campus, its facilities and infrastructure, as well as its standards and objectives was extremely helpful in meeting the complexity of program requirements and schedule constraints.
While several options were considered for the expansion, the Smith Building was selected due to its higher floor-to-floor height for mechanical distribution, its accommodating column grid, and its access to the mechanical system in the penthouse on Level 13, amongst other attributes.
One important goal of the project which was achieved was to allow the existing CMCF to remain in full operation throughout the construction of the new space.
Project Photography: © Keitaro Yoshioka
Technical Statistics
