SPIE undertakes technical renovation of laboratory and office space for Philips Healthcare

• - SPIE is renewing 1,250 square metres of laboratory and office space in Hamburg for Philips Healthcare
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• - The sophisticated technical building equipment is a particular challenge: the floor will be separated from the complex supply infrastructure to ensure the ongoing operation of the laboratory.
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• - Philips and SPIE have been working together at the Rothe Erde location in Aachen since 2007.
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Hamburg, June 1st, 2018 – At the beginning of the year SPIE started the technically complex renovation of a Philips Medical Systems DMC GmbH building floor. The listed building, which dates from 1930, houses the laboratories and offices of the company's central X-ray research division. In the coming years, they will be successively renovated while their operations continue. Not only will the entire interior including fire protection be completely renovated, but all services and functional connections will also be newly laid. In order to ensure continuous operation of the laboratory as well as the work of the other departments in the building during the construction period, the entire floor must be separated from the existing complex supply of technical media.

A challenging task for two experienced partners

Philips and SPIE have a longstanding business relationship. SPIE has been responsible for the technical building operation of the industrial estate at the Philips Rothe Erde location in Aachen since 2007.

However, the current renovation is the first one with a clear focus on technical building fittings. “Hamburg is an important location for our X-ray research and production, and it continues to grow. We cannot interrupt our work. We are happy to have SPIE, with whom we have been working for a long time, as a partner for the renovation,” says Dipl.-Ing. Malte Bading at Philips Medical Systems DMC. The Hamburg-based medical technology specialist develops and produces medical technology for the global market.

Two building phases allow research to continue without interruption

Before the internal work begins, the laboratory rooms will first be completely gutted. SPIE is setting up a temporary laboratory so that the research department can continue with research and experiments and operate test facilities during this time. “During the entire process, the laboratory operation is expected to have a downtime of just over four weeks while we move from the temporary laboratory to the new one,” explains Jens Rehder, Project Manager at SPIE Hamburg. Part of the heavy equipment will be built by the team in close consultation with the structural engineers before the dry construction begins. All supply lines to the laboratory must then be laid in the new rooms. This includes several cooling water circuits, nitrogen, gas and compressed air lines as well as the infrastructure of the fire detection and sprinkler systems. Only when this section is finished and relocated will the renovation of the adjacent office space follow. “The biggest challenge is to implement the demanding phases of intervention on schedule, so that all areas can return to normal operation on time,” explains Bettina Regling, SPIE Site Manager. In total, about 15 months are scheduled for the renovation work.

A team of specialists

SPIE is coordinating many different trades for the complex project. Among others, the multi-technical service provider works together with a specialised architecture office, specialist engineers and planners as well as structural engineers and experts. All building phases will be completed in January 2019 and the fully operational floor will be handed over to Philips. “It is a very attractive contract for us – and not just because of the volume. We can prove our expertise in meeting extreme challenges for technical building equipment requirements and successfully position ourselves as an efficient service provider,” says Jens Rehder.