Biomedicum

The Biomedicum research laboratory is owned by Akademiska Hus and was ready for occupancy in April 2018.  It consists of four main sections across 11 floors and spans 65,000m² in total. “The building is designed for collaboration where certain facilities are used together,” says Christer Älenmark, an electrical engineer with WSP, who led the engineering systems design for the project on behalf of the developer Akademiska Hus.

The building is deliberately designed to be open and inviting, with large office spaces ideal for collaborative work. A glass-covered green atrium on the ground floor provides a café and public exhibition space and a link to the larger green space on campus. It is also physically connected to BioClinicum, a clinical research facility within the Karolinska University Hospital. “This encourages collaboration between organizations, and that further advances the scientific and medical research happening on the campus,” adds Älenmark.

Biomedicum is an ambitious and high-tech facility. The tenant requires advanced core facilities, including x-ray irradiation, chemical proteomics, multiple imaging tools and a biosafety level 3 lab. WSP had the challenge of designing and constructing these functional scientific systems while still ensuring the workspaces are flexible, welcoming and pleasant for the occupants.

Adaptability was a fundamental concern for WSP’s telecommunications design too, which includes a high-speed, state-of-the-art wired and wireless network with a fully redundant backbone, and an n+1 redundant data hall in the basement. “One of the most challenging things was meeting the requirements for flexibility while reducing the number of network outlets,” says Älenmark. “The most innovative aspect is the cooling solution in the data hall which allows for much greater variety in the arrangement of the server racks, beyond the traditional warm and cold isle layout.”