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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 | 63 OmniaBio – McMaster Innovation Park R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y M C M A S T ER I N N OVAT I O N PA R K OMNIABIO – MCMASTER INNOVATION PARK by ROBIN BRUNET T he OmniaBio project faced many challenges, including a fast-track schedule and the hur- dles of the COVID lockdowns; but an intense delivery process resulted in success – and a facility that provides the missing infrastructure necessary to keep Canadian cell and gene ther- apy companies in the country, while attracting foreign firms. Located at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) in Hamilton, Ontario, OmniaBio is a commercial-scale cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility designed to advance pioneer- ing medicine with the potential to cure many forms of cancer, cardiovas- cular disease, and other maladies. The fast-track nature of the project was such that developers MIP real- ized it had to be undertaken using the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method. Frances Grabowski, VP of design and development at MIP and IPD lead says, "Implementing IPD enabled us to kickstart the project by focusing primarily on the most sig- nificant cost factors. We were able to streamline the process through collaboration between architects, builders, and key sub-trades who iter- atively shared insights and gained a profound understanding of the facil- ity's requirements." Originally, a design-build pre- qualification was tendered for a 300,000-square-foot Clinical and Commercial Manufacturing build- ing for CCRM on McMaster Innovation Park property. Multiplex with Arcadis | IBI Group, Arup, and Colliers Project Leaders were shortlisted and ultimately chosen with the ability to pivot and refocus in an IPD structure, allowing the team to build a smaller facility on the West side of the property (100,000 square feet), quicker, and to satisfy the demand to bring cell and gene thera- pies to the world within two years. IPD enabled the team to leapfrog and overcome many COVID lock- down-related problems. "For example, we started the project in December of 2021 and ordered the structural steel in March of 2022 with our major trade as a partner, knowing that deliv- ery would be at least 10 months away," Grabowski says. "In April of 2022 the preliminary design was completed, and the steel arrived in November." Grabowski adds that the intense col- laboration of IPD also enabled the project's budget to be reduced from $51 million to $44.75 million. Steve Donnelly, associate director/ practice lead, architecture at Arcadis | IBI Group, agrees that the IPD method "allowed us to build a complex facility during a time of massive delays and inflation. Everything was considered with risk management in mind, and among many benefits the multi-party agreement provided us with real-time costing and availability of materials, plus lead times." Donnelly goes on to point out that the site for OmniaBio "was adjacent to a highway and on the edge of a research park, behind a building with a shared driveway and truck turning requirements. Aesthetically it had to fit in while being distinctive in its own right, as well as being constructed to achieve social sustainability and net zero standards." Arcadis | IBI Group created a three-storey horizontal structure encompassing the labs, offices, and manufacturing components, with a spectacular curved entranceway cor- ner of curtain wall at one end. "Long strip windows were designed to run along the perimeter of the building to achieve our goal of having natural light penetrate deep within," Donnelly says. Due to availability and quick instal- lation features, insulated wall panel was chosen as the cladding. "In addition to enabling us to close the build- ing very quickly, the five-inch panels had great R value," Donnelly says. The curved entrance is a verti- cal column that calls attention to itself on the exterior, but despite its massive appearance, the level three lobby space for OmniaBio is more intimate, and on level one there is a same-sized lobby for secure access to the cGMP space. As for colour schemes, Donnelly notes that "Outside is a silver, charcoal, and black palette that exhibits a gen - eral coolness of tone in keeping with other facilities in the business park. A similar palette but with warmer tones was chosen for the interior." Arup provided the full suite of engineering services for the OmniaBio project, including struc- tural, mechanical, electrical, IT and communications, security, and sus- tainability services. "We were also huge proponents of the IPD frame- work, as it allowed us to integrate input from our trade partners into our design from the onset of the project," says Tudor Munteanu, senior engineer at Arup. Munteanu points out Arup's sharing of its BIM models with the structural trade facilitated the early ordering of steel. "Overall, by working together in the same digital environ- ment we were also able to procure long lead items such as structural steel just two months after the start of design. The air handlers and medium voltage equipment followed shortly after and were procured three and five months after start of design, respectively." Construction began in the fall of 2022 after a soil management pro- gram was completed by MIP. Multiplex's project team hit the ground running, with an under- standing of the time constraints of the tenants' schedule; the last planner system was utilized to align with the tight timeline ensuring just-in- time delivery. Stuart McCready, senior man- ager collaborative construction at Multiplex, shares: "Our knowledge platform and global experience in collaborative delivery models simi- lar to IPD set up the project team for success." Multiplex's operational efficiency focused on enclos- ing the building envelope for the 119,000-square-foot facility to meet critical milestone targets. "By October the building was weathertight and the exterior was nearly complete," Donnelly adds. For her part, Grabowski regards the project as a shining example of how an aggressive development timeline can be adhered to through innovation using IPD while maintaining stan- dards and guidelines set by the owner. "We were on schedule for the build- ing to be completed by November 10, which is remarkable," she says. "We're very proud of the outcome." A LOCATION Longwood Road South at Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER McMaster Innovation Park ARCHITECT Arcadis | IBI Group GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Multiplex Construction Canada STRUCTUR AL /MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL /IT/COMMUNICATIONS/ SECURIT Y/SUSTAINABILIT Y CONSULTANT Arup CIVIL CONSULTANT A.J. Clarke & Associates Ltd. L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SpruceLab Inc. TOTAL SIZE 119,000 square feet TOTAL COST $44.75 million

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