It is becoming clear across the industry that LETI benchmarks for MEP are likely underestimated..

We've done a lot of work for GSK over four sites now, principally in Stevenage, where we built a new cryogenics building.This was a really interesting project because there are two things in it that are probably unique, certainly in the UK, if not in the world..

This building contains hundreds of thousands of samples, stored in vats of liquid nitrogen at -278o centigrade.Currently, accessing the samples is a manual process which exposes the users to risk of asphyxiation due to their close proximity to the liquid Nitrogen.As the Nitrogen evaporates, a blanket of cold Nitrogen forms on the floor and rises upwards, thereby excluding the oxygen necessary for human life.. For the new facility, they wanted to make sure no-one had to go near the storage vessels.

So they commissioned a US company called Brooks to design a robot that could collect samples and deliver them to the scientist, in a way that’s a bit like a vending machine.Our challenge was to design and build the building around the robot system which was a world first and still in development.. Additionally, the way Bryden Wood have designed the extraction systems is a UK - and probably world first.

Because these rooms are highly hazardous, the air change rate must be high in volume, but it must also be at low level physically.

In every other facility I know of, extracting at low level is done with ductwork.Agreeing what needs to be done can be a challenge in itself, as it can be hard even to know where to start.. Design to Value master planning is a highly collaborative process, customised to the client’s specific situation and requirements, which aims to create sufficient understanding from which to decide what, how and when to improve – and why.

And given that the constant in every project is uncertainty and change, it must always allow for multiple variables, both known and unknown..Importantly, effective master planning also allows the client to explain simply – and sell – their issues, requirements and planning to other (senior) internal stakeholders, demonstrating clearly how to move from a present state to potential future states, and the benefits of doing so.. Bryden Wood’s master planning process.

Our approach to master planning is collaborative, and iterative.Collaborative because there is usually no one person who understands every element of the situation (we bring together the right people to combine their knowledge and experience).