Custom Components Company Completes BioInnovation Center – New Orleans, LA

Custom Components Company recently completed a project in New Orleans, the BioInnovation Center, which will open its doors for the first time this September, and welcome a new generation of innovators from Louisiana's burgeoning life science community.  Situated between the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District and the New Orleans Medical District, on the 1400 block of Canal, the center offers 66,000 square feet of state-of-the-art wet lab, office and conference space.  Designed to cultivate and conceive new ideas for bio-innovation, the Center exists among a community made up of hospitals, medical universities, research centers and biotech businesses. The project was designed by architects Eskew, Dumez, Ripple of New Orleans.  Turner Construction Company was the general contractor.  A 3,000 sq. ft. interior courtyard will be visible from the Canal Street side through the center's transparent glass facade.  The building will be protected by operable sunscreens to limit energy costs, create comfortable lighting for its occupants and provide storm protection.  Interior public amenities include a flexible 100-person conferencing center with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment; a 2,000 sq .ft. retail/food service area open to Canal Street; and an interior atrium facing the courtyard, with public break areas at each level.  Upper floor amenities include protected exterior balconies facing Canal Street, to provide occupants and visitors with opportunities for interaction with the outdoors 

PLAN THE WORK AND WORK THE PLAN... That is what made this one of the most challenging projects to date, and a huge success for Custom Components Company. The scope of work included a 700 Series fascia mounted glass railing system on the exterior balconies and a custom stainless steel point supported glass railing and sidewalls on the interior stairs and mezzanine locations. Planning, preparation and coordination with Turner Construction Company, the general contractor, was paramount to the success of the project. This process began prior to the erection of the structural steel on the project. The challenge was all in the logistics. Getting the exceptionally large pieces of glass to the point of installation was the most difficult aspect. Custom Components built, in coordination with Turner, a  substructure of steel supports behind the drywall to support these extra heavy glass panels via the use of a minimum amount of stainless steel point mount fittings.

The 13/16" laminate glass panels arrived individually crated at the construction site from XYG Glass in a special open top container. XYG Glass (North America) is headquartered in Vancouver, B.C. Their parent company and glass manufacturer is XinYi Glass Engineering, Humen Town, Dongguan, China. All order coordination was managed by Glass 3 Enterprises, also of Vancouver. The largest piece of glass measured 44" x 240" and weighed approximately 880 lbs. per piece. The site logistics involved providing a means to transport the glass to its point of installation. To accomplish this, special steel support rigging systems were utilized for lifting and manipulating the glass from the first floor up to the second and fourth floor mezzanine areas. After it was hoisted, it was hand wheeled into position to be set. The glass was set on the second floor by hoisting each piece in the air from the custom cantilevered beam and trolley system Custom Components designed and installed on the fourth floor. The glass was set on the fourth floor by hoisting each piece and lowering it in the stair opening, where there was only 3" of space to lower it into position. Additionally, the finished product, which is visible from the outside, serves as both a guard rail on the mezzanine area and glass enclosure on the main stairway between the 3rd and 4th floors.