Client:
Alkermes, Inc.

Project Duration: 2001 – 2003

Project Constructed Value:
~$40 million

Parsons Services:
Architecture,
engineering,
procurement,
construction management,
commissioning,
and validation
support

Alkermes, Inc., is a pharmaceutical company that develops products based on sophisticated drug delivery technologies to enhance therapeutic outcomes in major diseases. Alkermes recently constructed a full-scale commercial manufacturing facility to produce pulmonary product candidates, including an inhaled insulin product using its patented and proprietary AIR™ Pulmonary Drug Delivery Technology.

Spray dryer used to manufacture product

Parsons provided a complete range of services including architecture, process engineering, mechanical design, procurement, construction management, commissioning, and validation support.

Many factors influenced Alkermes in developing a plan. The new facility’s location had to be close to Alkermes’ headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to leverage the R&D knowledge base in Cambridge and continue to attract highly qualified personnel. The location also had to be large enough to allow for future expansion while avoiding the high lease costs of the Cambridge area.

The site search considered over 40 properties in the Boston area and ultimately resulted in the selection of the Brickyard Square Facility, a set of four 100-year-old brick buildings in a historic section of Chelsea, Massachusetts, which is situated next to Boston on the Mystic River. The site had been abandoned for 10 years, and the City of Chelsea was enthusiastic about the redevelopment of the location.

The site is only 15 minutes from Alkermes’ Cambridge headquarters and measures a total of 144,956 square feet (about three acres). The buildings occupy approximately 90,000 square feet.

Capsule filler inserts the product into capsules

Alkermes selected Parsons in part because they desired to work with one firm from start to finish that had local resources for design and construction management, the required skills, and the commitment to meet project requirements.

Alkermes and Parsons established a departmental communications structure that proved effective throughout the entire project; this concept of matching Alkermes and Parsons personnel continued through commissioning. To transfer the knowledge base from design to operations, Parsons’ design personnel paired up with the future Alkermes operations personnel as they were hired to run the new facility.

The Brickyard Square Facility project posed several unique challenges. Given the fast-track nature of this project, these challenges had to be handled effectively and efficiently so that valuable time was not lost.

Utility Plant

For example, the city water supply line branch feeding the site had not been used in many years, and even basic electrical power for the site posed challenges to the team. Parsons’ construction managers worked with the City of Chelsea water and fire departments to re-establish clean water flow. A firewater booster pump, backed by an emergency generator, was added to protect the buildings. Expansion plans for a moderate-pressure natural gas line stopped one block short of the property line, thereby leading the team to plan and install a long underground line from a low-pressure source supplemented with a booster pump.

Process development continued throughout construction, and the design and construction processes had to be flexible to incorporate the new findings. Additional challenges involved balancing the time of process development with the overall project timeline requirements and safely installing large mechanical and process equipment within the site’s 100-year-old buildings.

Operator Interface Station

Parsons developed innovative solutions to these challenges to deliver the project on time and on budget. Construction began in January 2002 and was completed in April 2003. A fast-track design-build approach enabled the facility to become operational only 18 months after the start of construction.

This project was recently nominated as a finalist for 2005 Facility of the Year by ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering), Interphex, and Pharmaceutical Processing. This selection is a high profile and prestigious accomplishment for Alkermes and Parsons. The project competed in a field of 28 qualifying entries from 12 countries to be named one of five finalists. The winner will be announced on April 26, 2005, at the Interphex tradeshow—the premier annual gathering of Life Sciences professionals from around the world—at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

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