IMEG provided engineering design, energy modeling, and construction administration services for a six-story vertical expansion of the Washington University School of Medicine’s Lipstein BJC Institute of Health (BJCIH).

This unique 160,000-sf vertical expansion added five new laboratory floors and one new mechanical equipment penthouse on top of an existing six-story research facility. The vertical expansion houses a new, 7,900-sf biosafety level 3 laboratory (BSL-3) that will aid in researching deadly airborne viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, Tuberculosis, and more. Because of this BSL-3 laboratory’s critical nature, dedicated ventilation and exhaust systems were designed with full N+1 redundancy and extensive HEPA filtration to ensure the safe study of these dangerous viruses to develop treatments, vaccines, and diagnostic tools to help control the virus epidemics. The BSL-3 laboratory design also includes precise airflow measurement and control equipment used to maintain critical laboratory pressurization required to protect the BSL-3 research staff and surrounding areas from exposure to these lethal pathogens. Because the Lipstein BJC Institute of Health is located in the heart of a dense medical campus, extensive wind studies were conducted using built-to-scale models of surrounding buildings to ensure any and all potentially harmful laboratory exhaust would be safety discharged and adequately dissipated. The BJCIH vertical expansion design also includes accommodations for a second BSL-3 lab to be constructed in the future.

Additional spaces include a 5,100-sf Biologic Therapy Core Facility designed to ISO-7 cleanroom specifications, following Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations (enforced by the Food and Drug Administration), for cellular therapies to treat cancer; 103,000-sf of expanded laboratory space; and about 44,000-sf of mechanical building-support areas.

One challenge unique to this project was the installation of a new 2500kW emergency power generator into the existing building. The new generator will be located on the lowest basement level of the existing building but will serve equipment installed on floors seven through twelve of the vertical expansion. This new emergency generator will output a medium voltage rating of 4160 volts to support a new centrifugal chiller being provided to increase the building’s overall chilled water system capacity. The new generator will provide emergency power for the life safety systems (egress lighting, fire alarm), mechanical equipment for the specialty labs to maintain environmental conditions, and receptacles for lab equipment that need generator backed up power to continue production processes.

The BJCIH vertical expansion engineering design also incorporated state-of-the-art heat recovery systems that recycle energy from exhausted BSL-3 and wet-laboratory air to pre-condition outside air being brought into the ventilations systems which substantially reduces overall energy use and utility costs. This project required extensive phasing to add critical mechanical and electrical utility infrastructure to a large research facility that must remain under constant operation. During that time, the Institute rerouted foot traffic via covered walkways and closed certain areas for the safety of the public and residents. The core and shell vertical expansion design was completed in January of 2022 and was completed in March 2025.