Containment Laboratory Workshop
Design, Operation and Maintenance
May 10-12, 2006
Winnipeg, MB

The inaugural workshop was the result of an innovative public-private collaboration between the International Centre for Infectious Diseases, Smith Carter, and the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, home to the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease.

Speakers from Smith Carter included: Gord Ferguson and Ana Coppinger, Plan for Success; Luis Linares, Smith Carter USA and Ed Martin, To Build New or Renovate; and Heather Smith, Costing and Budget Considerations. Participants also had the opportunity to participate in a design workshop based on an actual scientific program.

Participants attended from across Canada and the United States as well as from Kenya, Korea, Nepal, China, and New Zealand for this unique learning experience. This global reach, says the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Dr. Stefan Wagener, is a clear indication of the excellence of this opportunity and the leadership of the partners in the venture.

“This workshop cements Winnipeg’s position internationally as a centre of expertise in biocontainment facilities,” states Dr. Stefan Wagener. “The combined resources and proficiency of the partners have allowed us to mount a training opportunity that is truly second to none.”

That expertise is resident in the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH), the only facility in the world with highest-level containment capacity for both animals and humans. Smith Carter, internationally recognized for their work in the design of biocontainment facilities, beginning with their seminal work on the CSCHAH, are another pillar of strength in this field.

“The interest in this workshop demonstrates what we've known for some time based on our own experiences,” asserts Scott Stirton, CEO of Smith Carter, “that there is a increasing demand for knowledge and practical solutions for research and diagnostic facilities for emerging infectious diseases.”

The International Biocontainment Facilities Conference 2006
March 27-28, 2006
St. Petersburg, FL

Forum Session: Operations and Maintenance of BSL Facilities
Forum Leaders: Gilles Tremblay, Principal Controls/Commissioning Specialist (Hemisphere Engineering U.S. Inc.), Heather Smith, Facility Management Expert (Smith Carter), Les Wittmeier, Manager of Technical Services (Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health)
The development and implementation of a comprehensive O&M strategy is critical for ensuring the continued and reliable performance of a biocontainment facility over time. The operational activities enable the facility to function on a daily basis in areas such as containment, security, HVAC, and housekeeping. The maintenance activities provide the physical upkeep of a facility and its systems. The presenters will describe some of the various O&M delivery methods implemented by biocontainment facilities and the potential associated pros and cons. A detailed cost of O&M including staffing, energy usage, and operations and maintenance will be presented by a client from a current BSL2/3/4 facility. For more information, contact hsmith@smithcarter.com.

2005 Eagleson Institute Advanced BSL-3 and BSL-4 Biocontainment Colloquium:
Lessons Learned and Challenges to Overcome
June 19-22, 2005, Freeport, ME>

Forum Session: The Latest Issues in Biocontainment Facility Security
Forum Leader Les Gartner, Principal (Smith Carter USA)
Security of biocontainment facilities has become a major challenge since 9/11/2001. The latest concepts and application of technology were reviewed. For more information, contact lgartner@smithcarter.com.

Forum Session: A Case Study on the NBL Public Process
Forum Leaders: Scott Butler, PE (CUH2A) and Scott Stirton, CEO (Smith Carter)
Boston University was awarded a National Biocontainment Laboratory. A case study on the design and approval process was presented. For more information, contact sstirton@smithcarter.com.

Science Buildings Canada – 2005
Emerging Solutions for Canadian Research Buildings and Science Teaching Facilities
May 30-31, 2005, Ottawa, ON

Forum Session: Level 3 biocontainment design & construction details for agricultural facilities
Forum Leaders: Jim Weselake, Principal and Eleanor Shewchuk, Interior Designer (Smith Carter), and S. Migo Kelada, Mechanical Engineer (Hemisphere Engineering Inc.)
Cost-effective Level 3 biocontainment solutions for agricultural facilities depend on making right decisions on envelope containment design, mechanical and electrical systems, air pressure controls, liquid sterilization and disposal, functional programming requirements, and numerous construction details. Here, session leaders detail planning efficiency factors, building systems costs, building area analysis, cost estimates and alternative approaches to containment. Using the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada as case studies, they illustrate the special bio-safety requirements inherent in Level 3 Ag facilities and how they differ from human health biocontainment facilities. For more information, contact jweselake@smithcarter.com or eshewchuk@smithcarter.com.

The 2005 International Conference on Biocontainment Facilities
April 4-5, 2005, San Francisco, CA

Forum Session: How certification requirements impact design & construction details and commissioning
Forum Leaders: Jeffrey Schramm, Vice President and Project Manager (Gilbane Building Company) and Leslie Gartner, Principal (Smith Carter USA)
Too many BSL-rated construction and renovation projects struggle to meet certification requirements, and not meeting those requirements is a costly project outcome. Here session leaders use two recent projects (new construction and renovation) to demonstrate the difference between certification requirements and commissioning processes and the project management principles that are critical to certification success. They illustrate design and construction details and management methods for both human and animal health research construction projects at the BSL-3 level, and they prescribe how to specify for certification success in design-build projects. For more information, contact lgartner@smithcarter.com.

Forum Session: BSL-3 and vivaria -- options for where the barrier goes and the impact on operations and costs
Forum Leaders: Jon Crane, Principal (CUH2A, Inc.), and Cory Ziegler, PE, Biocontainment Engineering Specialist (Hemisphere Engineering, Inc.)
Cross-discipline research agendas, complex staffing and operational concepts, and ever-present resource constraints are shaping innovative solutions to the lab-to-animal-to-core planning formulas and the placement of equipment and systems relative to the containment barrier. Here, session leaders analyze new containment barrier concepts for diagnostic, basic research, and vaccine development programs in both large and small building envelopes. They illustrate an analytical methodology for evaluating design solutions with respect to research program efficiency, operations, safety, engineering systems, and costs, and for optimum decision-making for cost, operation, and research program criteria.