Company Bio
Cytiva is a globally recognised technology and service provider helping its clients develop, manufacture, and deliver advanced therapeutic products. These include life-saving treatments such as vaccines, biological medications, and gene therapies for pharmaceutical applications.
After recent planning permission to migrate their existing R&D facilities, Cytiva is relocating its SBC lab to a new bioscience campus. The aptly named Sycamore House will serve as a staging ground for Cytiva’s breakthrough research in nanofiber technology. Equipping the company with a suite of modern systems to bring their laboratory into the 21st century.
We must design, develop, and deliver nine ducted polypropylene fume cupboards with expandable storage. However, a third-party service provider specialising in HVAC systems will manage the ducting installation process.
Initial inspections revealed a lack of make-up air inside the laboratory, so instead of a CAV (Constant Air Volume) HVAC system, we recommend its VAV (Variable Air Volume) counterpart.
VAV reduces fume cupboard exhaust volumes when the sash is closed through a retrofitted damper, allowing the facility to conserve energy and air inside the lab.
Initially, we intended to produce nine polypropylene fume hoods of varying sizes. However, client specifications regarding storage requirements dictated an alternative approach. A standard 1800mm fume hood can only store a small quantity of substances below the sash. Consequently, we decided to focus solely on dedicated storage, primarily as a walk-in enclosure to sit alongside the cabinets.
As this project uses an energy efficient VAV solution, we have also opted to fit each cabinet with a red-light alarm system to register any drops in airflow.
Coordinating our delivery schedule with Cytiva's site managers proved invaluable. Sycamore House is a 93,000 sq. ft. facility that catered to over five hundred service personnel daily. With this in mind, delivering and positioning the cabinets quickly, is a top priority. We shipped all nine fume cupboards in one day offloading and positioning each unit within a six-hour schedule.
Incidentally, we manufacture and deliver our units in two pieces, the base unit and the fume cupboard. This mitigates the time spent on-site and reduces the delivery cost.
The installation was a simple and pain-free process. Sycamore House is a newly developed campus designed for laboratory use. As a result, electrical infrastructure, water, and gas access were all readily available.
To begin with, we assembled and connected the VAV controls inside the cabinets to the newly installed ducting, ensuring system continuity, followed by gas fittings and Di water. Following this, we installed the two walk-in fume cupboards and positioned the bioreactors inside the cabinets.
Access is arguably the most indispensable commodity inside any laboratory, and Cytiva is no exception. Ensuring staff can safely operate, insert, and remove equipment is just as important as PPE and best practice procedures.
Finally, we move on to commissioning and servicing. Every Fume cabinet installed in the UK must follow strict European standards. EN 14175 covers face velocity, smoke pattern visualisation and tracer gas containment. These tests serve two purposes. Firstly, to protect staff from inhaling hazardous fumes. Secondly, they indicate the health of your cabinet and HVAC system.
We certify every fume cabinet we install and offer annual service contracts (up to three years) regardless of brand. Needless to say, Cytiva passed with flying colours.
If you need a full-service fume cupboard manufacturer, we offer free consultations online and over the phone. Our dedicated project management teams can help you select, specify and create the right fume cupboard for your application.
