SAN DIEGO FACILITY DESIGNED BY KORNBERG ASSOCIATES I ARCHITECTS SERVES AS GLEAMING ADDITION TO LOCAL BIOTECH COMMUNITY

SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2009 -- A new 38,000 square-foot biopharmaceutical research facility designed by Kornberg Associates | Architects (www.kornberg.com) has transformed an old one-story building into a modern, two-story structure featuring state-of-the-art labs, research offices and a sophisticated video conferencing room. Ken Kornberg, president and founder, made the announcement.

A number of city and county dignitaries attended the recent grand opening of the Ferring Pharmaceuticals facility, located in the city's Sorrento Valley area, which is home to numerous biotechnology and research institutes. The privately held Swiss company develops and markets a wide variety of pharmaceutical products and expects to launch in a few weeks a first-in-class prostate cancer drug discovered in San Diego in 1996.

According to Kornberg Associates I Architects Principal Mike Mulvey, who heads up the firm's San Diego operations, since the site wasn't conducive to lateral expansion and the existing structure couldn't support additional loads, a separate structure was designed that now straddles the existing labs.

A second-floor deck above the existing roof has been reconfigured into a semi-enclosed interstitial space that also hides all of the unsightly HVAC equipment that was on the roof.

"The second floor contains organic, peptide and analytical chemistry labs," Mulvey said. "Dockable lab workbenches and mobile drawer/cabinet units connect to a horizontal utility umbilical that provides configuration flexibility for the labs. The configuration also allows floor-to-ceiling glass walls that make the labs very light and allow users to enjoy views of the adjacent Penasquitos reserve."

Other key design features:

The second floor skin has an energy-efficient insulated-unit glass wall with floor-to-ceiling panels.
Chemistry fume hood exhaust stacks are now screened behind the new second floor structure.
Stainless steel mesh sides maintain airflow required by MEP equipment; additional equipment can be suspended from the structure which avoids putting further loads on the existing structure.
Three stairs, two elevators (the rear one is an oversized service elevator) have been added.
The facility is wired with Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) cabling to facilitate data, security and video.
The new structure is finished with a clean, uncluttered white roof for energy efficiency and future photovoltaic energy supplementation using curved amorphous silicon panels.

The site borders the Penasquitos Multiple Habitat Protection Area (MHPA) and is also subject to California Coastal Commission restrictions. Environmental reports, archaeological studies, Torrey Hills Community Planning approval and clearance from MCAS Miramar were required in addition to the usual City permits before construction could begin. As a committed good corporate citizen, Ferring made sure to do everything "by the book" before proceeding.

Kornberg Associates Architects (www.kornberg.com), established in 1979, is the world's oldest, independent lab/research design firm. The company provides a full range of architectural services and has completed more than 500 projects worldwide.

These have included pharmaceutical and biomedical research labs, clinical care facilities, medical centers, office/administrative buildings, conference centers and schools. Project scale ranges from tenant improvement/renovation to complete buildings and campuses. Offices are located in San Diego and Menlo Park, CA; and Tokyo.

Return to: 2009 News Releases