The biotech industry continues to create successful new companies through entrepreneurial ventures, university spin-offs, and other technology-transfer mechanisms. As these companies succeed and grow, facility and operational considerations become more important. Biotechnology executives find themselves faced with myriad challenges in meeting business goals. One considerable component of these challenges is facilities planning and how physical assets fit into a company’s strategic plans. A comprehensive understanding of the correlation between an organization’s mission and its physical assets is critical to the creation of a strategic facilities plan that will guide future building decisions. Approaching this process is best done from a holistic perspective, viewed as a spectrum of four interlocking components: strategic business planning, strategic facilities planning, master planning, and site and facility design. This model drives the intracommunications between business and facilities planning groups to link strategic vision with physical results. Strategic Business Planning Like every business or organization, biotechnology companies operate according to a strategic plan. The purpose of this plan is to provide a vision for success and a path to get there. The most successful plans identify clear business strategies to meet financial objectives. In addition to setting overall business goals, other components of a strategic business plan might include: market assessment, brand assessment, organizational structure, risk assessment, operations analysis, and financial projections. Business plans typically focus on increasing shareholder value, rather than on details such as facilities or operations. These plans, however, frequently drive the need for new or renovated space to accommodate changes in headcount, new technologies, or geographic expansions. Linking the business plan to the strategic facilities plan directly influences productivity, recruitment, and retention. Strategic Facilities Planning A strategic facilities plan is made up of two main components: an in-depth analysis of existing facilities, including location, capability, utilization, and condition; and an achievable and affordable plan that translates the goals of the business plan into an appropriate facilities response. To ensure new facilities projects are business-driven and further the overall mission of the company, it is critical the first component precede the second. In the past, companies had a reasonable understanding of the location, capacity, and general condition of their facilities. In today’s climate of mergers and acquisitions, rapid technological change, and increased pressure on available capital, more in-depth information may be required. Rigorous analysis of existing facility assets is now critical to a biotech company’s ability to react to changing facility needs. Once a business plan has been established, and a clear understanding of assets and capabilities has been gathered, it is possible to identify which strategic business goals require a facilities response, and through gap analysis, to understand both the scale and criticality of the response required. The strategic facilities plan can then be formulated to identify the types of facilities needed, the best geographic location for these facilities, the expected costs of the projects, and a timeline for bringing them on line consistent with the business plan goals. Components of the strategic facilities plan may include: facility portfolio analysis and documentation; conditions surveys; building and site usage, and capacity analysis; industry benchmark studies; staff and technology projections over time; project identification; cost projections; board presentation materials; and a facility development schedule. Master Planning While the strategic facilities plan identifies the type, quantity, and location of facilities required by the organization, a master plan provides a framework for physical environments that will incorporate the facilities. Master planning develops the site-specific integration of programmed elements, natural conditions and constructed systems at the functional, aesthetic, and temporal levels. The nature of the plan will influence, and be influenced by, the context of the project location beyond the property lines. Alignment with community needs and expectations is a critical factor of this phase. Master planning begins with the development of alternative organizational configurations to accommodate the needs identified in the strategic facilities plan. These alternatives represent differing priorities and criteria, and present choices for organizational and site/facility models. The master planning process requires the participation of expert planners and stakeholders to ensure the outcome is achievable, yet flexible enough to preserve future options. Components of a master plan include: regulatory analysis; infrastructure and transportation planning; amenities/support planning; corporate image; security strategies; phasing plans; cost projections; and environmental design. Site and Facility Design Facility planning and detailed design is triggered by the identification and funding of specific projects through the capital planning process. This is the implementation phase of the planning spectrum; the translation of business needs into tangible facility and environmental responses. The design of a facility gives a public face to the organization. Components of the detailed facility plan include: detailed programming of user space and equipment needs; conceptual site, architectural, and engineering design; detailed systems design; materials selection; and construction documentation. A comprehensive understanding of the correlation between an organization’s mission and its physical assets is critical to the creation of a strategic facilities plan that will guide future building decisions. Facility Planning By Robert T. Hodgson, ASLA Strategic Facility Planning VIEW on Biotechnology April 2007 Flad & Associates Flad & Associates, Madison, Wisc., specializes in the planning and design of innovative facilities for clients in the dynamic fields of academia, healthcare, and science and technology. For more information, visit flad.com.
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Strategic Facility Planning
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Biotech