Engineering

Cleanroom Facilities

RFD’s Engineering Department performs planning and design of Cleanroom facilities throughout the design process from establishing design criteria and floor plans in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation and construction site observation. Our planning and design includes Architectural Cleanroom walls, doors, ceiling, flooring, furniture, and special use hood systems and complete MEP support systems for recirculation air-handling units, make-up air, exhaust air, plumbing, process piping, electrical distribution, hazardous product material (HPM), toxic gas monitoring systems (TGMS), and control systems. Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations for MEP systems, design drawings in AutoCAD, Revit 3-D, and written performance specifications for all Cleanroom Architectural and MEP systems.

Animal Facilities

RFD performs planning and design of Animal facilities throughout the design process from establishing design criteria and floor plans in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation. Our planning and design includes animal caging systems and biological safety hoods, isolation cubicles, sterilization equipment, cage-washing equipment, automated animal watering systems, Vivarium management control systems, and MEP support systems. Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations for MEP systems, design drawings in AutoCAD, Revit 3-D, and written performance specifications for all Animal Facility equipment and MEP support systems.

Biocontainment Facilities

RFD performs planning and design of Biocontainment (BSL-3, ABSL-3, BSL-3Ag) facilities throughout the design process from establishing design criteria and floor plans in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation. Planning and design includes process flow analysis, personnel and equipment transfer, animal caging systems and biological safety hoods, pass-through sterilization equipment, gaseous decontamination systems, and MEP support systems. Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations for MEP systems, design drawings in AutoCAD, Revit 3-D, and written performance specifications for all Biocontainment Facility equipment and MEP support systems.

Controlled Environmental Rooms

Planning and performance specifications are developed by RFD’s Engineering Department for special-use Controlled Environmental Rooms including cold rooms, freezer rooms, warm rooms, and variable temperature rooms. Design includes stable and uniform temperature and humidity control along with special lighting required for plant or animal research. Refrigeration systems utilize non-ozone depleting refrigerants and can use water-cooled or air-cooled condensing units. Performance specifications include materials of construction, HVAC systems, lighting systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems, telecomm/data systems, and control and data logging systems.

Laboratory Plumbing

RFD’s Engineering Department performs Laboratory Plumbing design and documentation throughout the design process from establishing design criteria in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation and construction site observation. RFD establishes design criteria for Laboratory Plumbing systems including types of systems required, material and construction specifications, operating parameters, cleanliness categories, and chemical compatibility. Laboratory Plumbing systems include water, air, vacuum, waste, specialty gases, hazardous product material (HPM), and also toxic gas monitoring systems (TGMS). Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations, Laboratory module points of connection, design drawings and details in AutoCAD, Revit 3-D, and written performance specifications for all Laboratory Plumbing systems.

Laboratory Electrical Monitoring Program

RFD’s Engineering Department performs Laboratory Electrical design and documentation throughout the design process from establishing design criteria in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation and construction site observation. RFD establishes design criteria for Laboratory Electrical systems including types of systems required, material and construction specifications, electrical distribution methodology, normal / emergency / standby power requirements, and building electrical system integration. Laboratory Electrical systems include AC power normal / emergency / standby service distribution, Laboratory switchgear and panelboard circuiting, DC power distribution, UPS, special grounding systems, and Teledata distribution. Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations, switchgear and panelboard schedules, design drawings and details in AutoCAD, and written performance specifications for all Laboratory Electrical systems.

Laboratory HVAC

RFD’s Engineering Department performs Laboratory HVAC design and documentation throughout the design process from establishing design criteria in the Programming Phase through final construction documentation. Establish design criteria for Laboratory HVAC systems including types of systems required, material and construction specifications, operating parameters, cleanliness categories, and chemical compatibility. Laboratory HVAC systems include supply air, general exhaust, fume exhaust, air control valves, Direct Digital Controls (DDC), and air quality monitoring. Construction documentation includes detailed system load demand calculations, Laboratory module points of connection, design drawings and details in AutoCAD, Revit 3-D, and written performance specifications for all Laboratory HVAC systems.

Laboratory Equipment Heat Load

RFD’s Engineering Department performs a detailed analysis of Laboratory equipment heat rejection to the room for each type of Laboratory space and generates a room-by-room report to be used in the design of the Laboratory HVAC systems. Our staff has worked with manufacturers to develop a comprehensive database of room heat gain values from Laboratory equipment. Our analysis includes estimates for floor equipment (refrigerators, -80°C freezers, centrifuges, incubators, fermentors, etc.), bench mounted equipment (gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, ovens, etc.), allocation for receptacle/plug loads, natural gas use, computers, and A/V equipment. Analysis includes appropriate use factors for diversity based on Laboratory type, usage, and size.

*Professional Engineering Services are not currently offered in the state of Illinois.