Q Block

SERVICE Design Partnership was commissioned to design the new M&E works for major international pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as part of the redevelopment of its Barnard Castle site.

A massive investment in the site the company wanted a cutting-edge factory that would incorporate the latest energy efficiency technologies in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) to provide safety, sterility and comfort and to help it reduce its carbon footprint, while enabling it to have capacity for future expansion.

The designs also include chillers and clean in place (CIP) equipment as well as sterilisation in place (SIP) to meet GSK’s demand for quality versus cost.

SDP initially investigated the site to look at existing works and identified where M&E would have to be relocated to ensure integrity of manufacturing during construction.

Working directly to GSK project managers SDP then created new M&E designs working alongside other contractors as part of a major team adopting BIM technology to progress the project more efficiently. 

Technologies incorporated at Q Block that had to be considered as part of the M&E design include advance robotic filling with isolation of the critical filling environment.

While sterile manufacture is mission critical for GSK, efficiencies for the future enable it to remain competitive. As part of the M&E design SDP was tasked to develop a system that was flexible for future expansion and further production development.

Initially a single Isolator filling line will be introduced into the building with fallow areas being left for potential future lanes in the future?