Efficiency and well-being

This state-of-the-art, 1.1 million-square-foot biotech manufacturing campus integrates the technical requirements of both upstream and downstream manufacturing, while providing a work environment focused on the well-being and efficiency of a diverse and highly dedicated workforce with a shared mission: to deliver plasma-based therapies for people affected by rare diseases and other highly specialized conditions.

Flad's design includes cGMP manufacturing units, warehouse and freezer storage, two testing laboratories, a 300-person administration building, and a central commons with a cafeteria, gym and training rooms.

The manufacturing units include plasma fractionation and the production of immunoglobulin and albumin therapies. Licensing and regulatory requirements for the FDA, European Union and other countries were considered and implemented. These spaces are organized in a linear fashion along a two-level spine, which runs the length of the facility, carrying people and materials above and main utility runs below. The arrangement facilitates flows of personnel, material, samples, and waste while minimizing conflicts with maintenance operations. The warehouse and freezer storage are centrally located along the spine to provide immediate adjacencies to the primary users of raw materials as well as to the producers of the finished goods that will be shipped for distribution. The entire campus is designed with the flexibility needed to allow for future expansion of each of its components.

A series of skylights along the length of the spine and windows into the manufacturing suites – including the clean environments – ensure that all employees have access to natural light and views, providing a sense of well-being and boosting productivity. The cafeteria, strategically located at the crossroads of the campus, opens its curved facade to allow for magnificent views of the surrounding landscape, views that are also shared by the administrative wing and the plasma testing laboratory. With a raised, under-floor air distribution system, the transparent and 90 percent open office environment of the administrative wing has been sustainably planned for comfort and designed to maximize collaboration.

The Georgia Manufacturing Facility was recognized by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) with an 2019 Facility of the Year Awards Honorable Mention.