Engineering Biosecurity & Sustainability: NBAF’s Cutting-Edge Innovation
Engineering a Better World One Project at a Time
The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), achieved an unparalleled resilient and sustainable design while adhering to the strict containment standards essential for biological threat research and countermeasure development.
The 2023 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Best Projects award program celebrated NBAF’s design excellence and dedicated project team with the following honors:
- 2023 ENR National, Best of the Best, Project of the Year Finalist
- 2023 ENR National, Best of the Best Project, Government/Public Building
- 2023 ENR Midwest, Project of the Year
- 2023 ENR Midwest, Best Project, Government/Public Building
High-Performance Design Supporting High-consequence Research & Diagnostics
AEI provided engineering leadership for the overall project, including the central utility plant (CUP) and the BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories, playing a pivotal role in NBAF’s first-of-its-kind success. This 520,000-square-foot, high-performance facility enables high-consequence homeland defense research and countermeasure development—including vaccines, diagnostics, and therapies—to combat zoonotic and foreign animal diseases.
NBAF is one of only a few BSL-3 laboratories that feature windows while still achieving the second-highest containment level.
Surpassing Rigorous Industry Design Requirements
Given the sensitive nature of NBAF’s research, AEI designed the facility to meet some of the industry’s most demanding structural and containment integrity standards. NBAF follows Biosafety in Microbiological Laboratories guidelines, ARS Facilities Design Standards, CDC Design and Construction Standards, and Unified Facilities Criteria, ensuring the highest levels of safety and containment.
AEI’s mechanical, electrical, and piping/plumbing (MEP) design was integral to the facility’s security, integrating pressurization and airflow strategies, HEPA filtration, dedicated piping systems, and properly sealed MEP systems at containment barriers. The building’s automation system continuously adjusts to meet the research activity demands, performing 8 to 12 air changes per hour depending on the containment zone while maintaining a secure environment that minimizes risks and prevents accidental pathogen release.
- 1st
- U.S. biocontainment facility to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission tornado resistance standards
Pioneering Tornado Resilience in Biocontainment Design
A National Academies of Sciences review identified tornado risks, prompting NBAF to incorporate tornado resilience criteria—a groundbreaking measure for U.S. biocontainment facilities. NBAF adheres to the same tornado resistance standards as nuclear facilities, making it the first U.S. biocontainment facility to do so.
The CUP incorporates multiple redundancies to ensure containment systems function at optimal efficiency.
In the event of a tornado, NBAF quickly shifts from full operation to secure shutdown, sealing containment areas to prevent pathogen release. The structure safeguards essential air handling and filtration systems, while n+1 system redundancy ensures uninterrupted operations. Serving as NBAF’s backbone, the CUP supplies essential operational systems, including emergency diesel generators that offer climate control and 15 days of uninterrupted standby power.
- 15
- days of uninterrupted standby power
The First LEED-Certified Biocontainment Facility: A Beacon of Resilience & Sustainability
Not only does the facility boast remarkable resilience, but it also incorporates an environmentally conscious design that is challenging to achieve under stringent security standards and research requirements. Earning LEED Gold certification, NBAF is the only large-scale high-containment facility to achieve any level of LEED recognition. AEI's innovative sustainable engineering design and thorough energy modeling introduced various energy and water conservation features. These conservation measures encompass a high-performance building envelope, energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, an energy recovery system, heat-recovery chillers, chilled beams, rooftop stormwater collection, onsite waste treatment systems, subsurface irrigation, and more – all integral to the facility’s distinctive high-performance design.
“USDA’s most important responsibility is ensuring the safety of the food we eat because it is undeniably true that food security is national security.”
- 1st
- biocontainment facility to achieve LEED certification at any level
A National Security Asset: Protecting U.S. Food Systems & Public Welfare
As the nation’s sole large-scale BSL-4 laboratory, NBAF is vital in researching, developing, and testing countermeasures to combat emerging biological threats. Through a secure and resilient design, AEI empowers the USDA and DHS to safeguard the nation’s agriculture, food supply, and public health.
NBAF exemplifies AEI’s commitment to engineering excellence and customized design solutions that propel client objectives forward. Through collaboration with visionary partners and a proactive approach to complex challenges, AEI fosters meaningful change, addressing critical national security, sustainability, nutrition, and public welfare issues. NBAF exemplifies the transformative power of expert design and strategic partnerships in addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges.
NBAF is the only large-scale research facility in the country that offers the highest level of biocontainment with BSL-4 capabilities.