Sustainability vs. Schedule – The Unapparent Opportunity in Novel Therapy Facilities
Business drivers such as speed to market are critical factors that influence the trajectory of emerging companies in the novel therapies market. The ability to produce life-saving medicines and therapies carries an inherent urgency. The influence of delivering a facility quickly impacts many decisions throughout constructing a manufacturing facility. One unfortunate casualty of a hyper-focus on schedule can often be sustainability, which is perceived to carry a premium of time or upfront capital for the sake of improving operating costs and reducing environmental impact. This contradiction places design teams in a difficult situation.
As consulting engineers, we serve our clients’ best interests and strive to do so with sustainability in mind. It is futile to argue the relative importance of speed-to-market of a life-saving drug vs. long-term sustainability of a facility. However, delivering on a tight schedule does not mean we have to ignore energy performance.
The following five basic strategies can help reduce the footprint of cutting-edge novel therapy manufacturing facilities without compromising on safety or speed:
