The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Disease Center Building 9 was designed to be a complex maximum containment large animal research facility. Research would be done on livestock and poultry in order to prevent diseases of economic importance. This building included 22 large animal BSL-3AG holding rooms, carcass disposal system and liquid waste transfer system.

Challenges during commissioning included:

• Architecturally tight construction, including air pressure resistant doors coupled with fast-acting, active-pressure airflow control
• Performance of Integrated System Tests (ISTs)
• A fast-acting, active-pressure airflow control system

Cornerstone was privileged to lead a highly-motivated team that worked closely together to mitigate building pressurization spikes and reversals. Collaborative problem solving resulted in a highly stable building that was well-prepared for a successful turnover. As part of this process, Cornerstone helped developed special alarm messages to alert building staff of critical alarms for both bio- and operator safety.

Cornerstone’s specialized expertise allowed for this highly complex project to be delivered two months ahead of schedule.