Drug discovery and time to market are mission-critical in the pharmaceutical world. Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) needed to build a manufacturing campus to bring their new rheumatoid arthritis drug to market in record time. The lead designer, Fluor Enterprises, was referred to VHB because we developed the Devens master plan and could hit the ground running. First challenge? This break-through drug-making process had never been constructed at this scale before.
Armed with schematic building designs and clocking in 16-hour workdays, we helped secure the permits necessary and the entitlements needed under the Devens Enterprise Commission to start construction within 45 days. From there, our team pushed the boundaries on sustainable design—from LEED® certification of lab/office and manufacturing buildings to making certain the visual, air, noise, and wetland project impacts were minimized to maintain compliance with current regulations. We also met BMS’s stringent needs to create an environmentally responsible and healthy work environment for its 350+ new employees. VHB has continued to serve BMS as this campus has grown, designing the infrastructure required to support new research and development and manufacturing facilities as well as an outdoor corridor that links the facilities and unifies the campus.
