How to Manage a Life Science Facility

With scientists and technicians conducting ongoing experiments in life sciences facilities, building owners must ensure that building systems and components run continuously and optimally, so sensitive research is not put at risk. To understand the key elements of successfully managing such a building, LoopNet spoke with Anthony Gonzalez, CEO of BioCube, a life science incubator in the Bay Area, to learn about the processes that he and his team employ to ensure that their building operates reliably for tenants. This article is a companion to a previous piece written about the construction costs related to converting office buildings into life sciences facilities.

“Oscar has a routine,” Gonzalez said, referring to Oscar Battaglia, director of facilities, who manages the day-to-day operations at BioCube. He starts his day at 5:30 a.m. by checking on the janitorial crew to make sure they have cleaned up after tenants that may have worked late into the night. “We have a new client that has swing shifts so they might work until midnight,” Gonzalez said.

Typically, commercial buildings are cleaned in the evenings when the buildings are largely empty, but Gonzalez commissions day cleaning that allows janitors to touch up the restrooms and common areas throughout the day. “As [tenants] are producing cardboard, for example, and want it removed from their labs, the janitorial staff can do that,” Gonzalez said.

As morning cleaning occurs, Battaglia checks systems that power equipment such as the HVAC and the RODI (Reverse Osmosis Deionized Water). Gonzalez said that they essentially conduct self-diagnostics on all of the systems that leave the building, checking for leaks and “funny noises,” but also to ensure that systems are operating inside preset parameters.

The building management system (BMS) that monitors and controls the building's mechanical and electrical equipment for systems such as ventilation, lighting, power, fire and safety, has preset parameters relative to temperature, for example, in each lab space and in all of the building’s common areas.

“We continuously monitor those thresholds, so throughout the day, if [a system] moves beyond a set parameter, an alarm goes off,” Gonzalez said. These alarms are critical, so Gonzalez and his team are alerted to potential shutdowns or system failures before they occur.

If they get an alert, they “log into the system, understand what is wrong and place a service call accordingly,” Gonzalez said. In-house facilities managers are not the only ones that have access to the building’s system. “Our technicians [outside vendors] that work on the systems also have access to the BMS, so when we place a service call, they can immediately log in to determine what is wrong.”

Nine out of 10 times, Gonzalez said an alarm will sound simply because someone propped open a door, setting off a temperature alarm because a room got too hot. To begin to remedy this, they might ask the janitorial staff to check a certain door or log into the camera system to see what happened.

Gonzalez said that in scientific environments, cold is your friend and heat is your enemy, so most of the temperature concerns relate to rising temperatures in the facility, because experiments are typically conducted in cold and freezing environments.

Involvement with lab spaces and private equipment inside suites is minimal, however regular inspections and maintenance do occur. “If it's not common, we basically don't support or maintain it,” Gonzalez said, adding that the line of demarcation exists at the entrance to each private suite.

Once a month, BioCube staff does enter each lab to conduct general inspections that essentially entail looking for overcrowding and ensuring that systems designed to stop discharges from leaving a specified area (i.e., secondary containment of chemicals) are working. On a more mundane basis, they also check underneath the sinks for leaks that every-day users can sometimes overlook. They also test the emergency eye wash showers to ensure they are fully functioning.

HVAC systems are critical to a facility like this, so the building staff needs to make sure fume hoods are operational and functioning properly, Gonzalez said. To check and maintain the hoods, BioCube enters each lab quarterly.

Additionally, once a year, “systems are literally shut down and [technicians] will go through replacing filters, tightening or changing widgets and belts and doing whatever needs to be done,” Gonzalez said, indicating that labs are also accessed during this annual check.

“Other than that, we don't go in there for any other purpose, unless there is a problem,” such as water coming underneath a door or a strong odor radiating from a lab, Gonzalez explained. “In those cases, we are allowed, per our agreement with the client, to immediately access their space without providing notice.”

“Oscar does a phenomenal job creating relationships with all the clients,” Gonzalez said. “And they pretty much say, ‘hey, if you need to go in, it’s no big deal.’” But contractually, BioCube must provide 24-hours notice, either verbally or in writing. “Oscar is the face of BioCube to many of our tenants,” Gonzalez said, adding that the clients “tend to look to him when they need support.”

Other critical relationships exist between Gonzalez and outside technicians that service systems and equipment. These are vendors that Gonzalez has worked with in the past focusing on, for example, equipment repairs, centrifuges and HVAC. He’s nurtured relationships with the owners and senior managers of these companies to ensure he receives priority attention. “We recommend them based on the high level of service we receive from them,” Gonzalez noted. So, in exchange, they have an understanding that typical clients may get a four-hour response window, but BioCube’s concerns are addressed in two hours.

Also, Gonzalez has arranged with some owners to reach out to the technicians directly, so if there's a problem, he can bypass the service desk. If an issue arises over the weekend, a technician might be able to pivot from a personal activity, and make it over in an hour-and-a-half. With this direct access to the technicians, Gonzalez is able to update his concerned clients with nuanced information, rather than simply saying he has put in a request for service.

“One of the things that we also do is keep spare parts in our warehouse,” because systems operate around the clock, so belts and widgets need to be continuously replaced. Gonzalez has arranged for key outside technicians to have full access to the warehouse. They know where parts are stored, so they pull what they need and install it. “It's more efficient for me. It's more efficient for them. It keeps costs down, and it minimizes my risk,” Gonzalez said.

“Keeping an inventory of spare parts was also an investment on my part. Those costs came in at about $30,000 [because] I have extra parts for the majority of my systems. But I felt that was a good use of our dollars,” emphasized Gonzalez. He reiterated that somebody’s work could potentially be affected or even destroyed because of a deviation in the building’s operation, so he is deeply committed to ensuring a reliable environment for his clients.

Gonzalez provides a packet of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that educates each individual client on appropriate behaviors in labs and common areas. They address items such as what to do after using a shared piece of equipment or the protocols for tissue culture rooms.

Many of the processes involve decontaminating equipment by breaking it down, cleaning it and reassembling it, “like the yogurt machines in a yogurt shop,” Gonzalez said. If someone fails to follow procedures relative to a piece of equipment, the logbook indicates who the user was, so BioCube management can follow up.

The fire department also conducts an overall inspection of the building just as they would any office building, Gonzalez said. Additionally, when clients are moving into labs and filing for hazardous waste permits or business licenses, these actions trigger inspections.

In the case of individual lab users, the fire marshal inspects those spaces for practices such as equipment that is strapped and secured or proper execution of double containment methods to store chemicals. Another area the fire marshal might focus on is signage, ensuring signs clearly indicate the level of corrosives or level of flammables being used in each suite.

“I always tell the clients to listen to them [because] they are here to educate us,” Gonzalez said of the inspectors. “The fire department doesn't want to be the big brother here,” he said, they just want to make sure that day-to-day items are properly addressed so in case of an emergency, a fire or an earthquake, they will know what they are facing as they enter the building.