UNT Discovery Park

This facility had undergone many design changes from its original conception as a chip manufacturing plant. Subsequently, it was transitioned to multi-disciplinary research labs and classroom space.

Halff employed the use of 3D Lidar scanning to generate a point cloud model which was used to coordinate existing systems with a high level of accuracy. These efforts allowed for more effective design decisions to be made, ultimately resulting in a net increase in usable space for the owner, and a reduction of field coordination issues encountered during construction.

UNT had budget constraints leading into project bidding, which presented the challenge of electing design compromises for Value Engineering (VE) options. Halff was able to leverage the detailed data model generated in the data collection and design phases as a tool to assist contractors in refining quantities and reducing uncertainties. This helped lower the construction budget within the necessary threshold.

An ongoing challenge was scheduling to coordinate with UNT’s student population and ongoing lab research needs. Halff and the general contractor were in constant communication about efficient phasing of construction activities to minimize downtime to building users. These changes minimized disruptions by avoiding invaluable testing equipment and reducing incursions into sensitive areas.

The cleanroom has numerous impressive mechanical features, including Class 10,000 and Class 100 cleanroom areas; 18,000 CFM Make-up Air Capacity; 3,600 CFM Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Exhaust and Abatement System Capacity; 9,200 CFM Acid Exhaust and Abatement System Capacity; 429,000 BTUH Sensible Cooling Capacity; 10 GPM Circulated De-ionized Water Capacity; 70 CFM Process Vacuum System, Bulk Gas Distribution System for 8 different gases, and acid and solvent plumbing waste systems. Halff provided MEP Engineering, Structural and Lidar services.