Project Summary
CS supplied Armourglaze™ high performance coating system with heavy duty fibreglass reinforcement for the walls and ceilings of the containment laboratories of the Francis Crick institute, along with a selection of Acrovyn Wall Protection products from Textured sheet to surface mounted corner guards. CS’ products ensure the Francis Crick is able to conduct its pioneering research in a safe and easy to maintain facility.
Full Case Study
The new £700m Francis Crick Institute in London is one of the largest, most sophisticated biomedical research facilities of its kind. Housing some 1,500 staff and state-of-the-art equipment, the institute will explore a wide range of research topics including new treatments for cancer, heart disease, stroke, neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases.
Within the building, the laboratories are arranged over four levels in a way that encourages collaboration between different groups of scientists. The facility incorporates a range of grades of laboratories, up to Containment Level, to enable studies on organisms falling under different Hazard Groups.
When deciding on wall and ceiling finishes for high containment laboratories, architects HOK were looking for a tried and tested solution that would withstand the institute’s demanding conditions:
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Working pressures of between -50 and -90 Pascals
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Negative pressures up to -250 Pascals
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Stringent cleaning including regular fumigation with Formaldehyde “bombs”
They chose CS Armourglaze™ high performance coating system with heavy duty fibreglass reinforcement (FG Heavy). This two-pack, solvent based polyurethane coating offers high durability, very high chemical and abrasion resistance, and an impervious finish, making it perfect for use in cutting edge research laboratory conditions. The system has been proven to withstand rigorous regular cleaning with strong chemicals without any degradation to its surface or performance. The addition of FG Heavy, combined with the coating’s inherent elastomeric properties, further enhances its resilience to extreme pressure or temperature variations, as well as impact damage.
Through decades of real world applications in high containment laboratories and the system’s performance characteristics, backed up by third party testing, CS were able to demonstrate that Armourglaze™ was up to the job. Project specific ‘pull tests’ were conducted to measure the coating’s bond strength to the substrate, to further cement its ability to withstand the required pressure variations. The system performed above and beyond what was required for the facility and was specified for the walls and ceilings of all the high containment laboratories within the facility. Specified in an off-white RAL 9010 colour with a gloss finish, Armourglaze™ creates an impermeable, tile-like surface, which can be expected to last for 10-15 years with minimal maintenance. Download the specification at the bottom of the page.
Elsewhere in the Francis Crick CS also supplied Acrovyn Wall Protection to protect the walls of circulation areas from damage. A selection of Acrovyn Crash rail profiles were chosen to cater for the various levels of expected damage in each area. Surface mounted versions of the popular SCR50 and SCR80 crash rails were installed in CS’ 162 Charcoal colour. Matching surface mounted corner guards were also chosen to protect vulnerable external corners from damage. To protect the doors to certain areas Acrovyn Sheet and custom made push plates were installed, offering an impact resistant, easy to clean protection solution.
The performance coatings specified and the accompanying wall protection package supplied by CS ensure the Francis Crick is able to conduct its pioneering research in a safe, easy to maintain facility.
