Biomedicines manufacturing facility

About BioCork

BioCork is a state-of-the-art facility producing immunology and oncology treatments in Cork, Ireland. PM Group has supported the design and construction of the 20,000+ sqm campus since it was established in 2005.

The various phases of development have been recognised with many major international awards. The most recent accolades relate to the latest expansion, BioCork 3.2: 

The project

The BioCork 3.2 expansion increased capacity by 75%, adding three production bioreactors, each of 15,400L capacity, as well as associated seed reactors and expanded warehouse cold rooms, freezers and central utilities.

This large and complex expansion was constructed within a live plant.  The project teams worked closely with Johnson & Johnson to successfully navigate many challenges and achieve seamless integration with no manufacturing disruption.

Digital innovation enabling superior collaboration and safety

The project complexity required exceptional interdependent collaboration, leading the team to implement innovative strategies for its safe and efficient delivery.

State-of-the-art technologies facilitated real-time, daily collaboration during the BioCork projects' delivery. These proved vital for effective communication and coordination among stakeholders while interfacing with existing site activities.

• Virtual Reality: teams used virtual reality for an initial collaborative review process, enabling timely decision-making and avoiding costly rework, which kept the project schedule on track.
• 3D BIM Modelling: design and construction teams used 3D BIM Modelling to understand the installation sequence and coordination steps in detail throughout the project.
• Interactive Whiteboards: these allowed session leaders to email all attendees directly from the screen during meetings, streamlining communication.
• 360-Degree Internal Cameras: these cameras provided visual oversight of the project progression and helped identify inefficiencies.

Leading with sustainability

All the BioCork facilities have been designed and constructed with sustainability as a guiding principal. 
The latest project, BioCork 3.2 has achieved the LEED BD+C New Construction v4 Silver Award.

PM Group has been involved on all three major development projects at this c.40 hectare site from its original establishment in 2005 as a greenfield facility to produce monoclonal antibody products. 

Our scope has included site evaluation, master-planning and permitting, architecture and engineering design, procurement, construction management support, commissioning/qualification/validation and LEED AP consulting services.

The earlier 19,000 sqm BioCork 2 expansion was recognised with ENR and CURT awards in 2020, and was Overall Winner and Project Execution Winner in the ISPE Facility of The Year Awards, 2021.