Maswiken recognises that the building’s sense of spaciousness comes from the fact that the hospital benefits from such a ‘well thought out design.’ ‘We’re very lucky with our building and the set up,’ he says.

We first met Illumina because they were building their new UK HQ – a very large laboratory building – on Quanta Park, where we were already active.We were called in to assist with the mechanical and electrical engineering aspect of the project where additional technical input was required, to sit with the client and tie the various elements together, assess why it was going wrong, and help secure its completion and commissioning.. Illumina specialise in DNA sequencing.

DNA analysis is a complex and data-intensive business.Every sequence generates six terabytes of data, and Illumina’s HQ houses about 80 sequencers, running around the clock, generating significant amounts of heat.So, a key issue is to ensure there are aqequate cooling systems.

But we were tasked to review all equipment specifications, for the chillers, air handling units, pumps, or anything else, essentially to protect the client and make sure they got they were paying for.And once installation was completed, we helped with witnessing commissioning, and then monitoring the functioning of the new building through its defects liability period..

Since that initial role, we have carried out a number of other MEP projects for Illumina, including extensive heat load testing, lab upgrades and the repurposing of existing offices and other facilities.

One major issue for clients in this sort of field is that science moves so fast that buildings quickly become out of date.She points out that 10-15 years ago she wouldn’t have been able to get in the room with the kinds of big companies she’s meeting with now.

These days they’re coming to her for help and she’s passionately excited about the change happening right before her eyes.. “What we have to recognise,” she says, “is we're counting on each other, and we have to make sure that we're all doing the right things because it’s so connected.”.She reminds us that.

facilitating a. successful.shift to industrialised construction.