Troax UK Limited has used its Titan (formerly Toledo) cleanroom partitioning system to construct new state-of-the-art chemistry research laboratories for Sygnature Chemical Services at its premises at the BioCity bioscience campus in Nottingham. The project is part of a £1m expansion programme to create a new research facility to accommodate the company’s expanding medicinal chemistry teams.

Sygnature, which provides medicinal chemistry research services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, is based at BioCity in Nottingham, which, as home to over 60 science-based businesses, is the UK’s largest bioscience innovation centre.

Troax used its Toledo partitioning system to construct the new research laboratories, as well as a suite of offices and a boardroom. Double glazed panels have been incorporated into the design to ensure a light and pleasant working environment for staff while sets of single and double doors, all fitted with vision panels, have also been fitted. The project was carried out in conjunction with Cleanroom Design and Construction Ltd.

Toledo’s modular design was an important advantage when carrying out the project, providing the flexibility needed to build this complex layout of 14 separate laboratory areas and offices covering 300sqm. Building columns, pipes and other services also had to be encased using the Toledo panels and this too was made easier by the partitioning’s modular construction and variety of panel sizes.

Sygnature Chemical Services also liked the versatility offered by Toledo’s modular design as it gives them the option to alter or extend the layout of the area in the future with minimum disruption or cost.

The high quality of the partitioning was another key factor in specifying Toledo as Nick Henley of Cleanroom Design and Construction explains: “We hadn’t used Troax before but we visited their showroom in Swindon to see the Toledo partitioning first hand and were extremely impressed by the quality. Toledo fulfilled the requirements of the Sygnature project completely – it’s a high-quality system so meets even the most demanding specification while its modular design allows it to be easily adapted to create the required layout within any type of new or existing building.”

“We’ve also found that Troax’s service is something that really sets them apart from other suppliers. At all stages of the project, Troax’s team provided a very professional service and the installation was completed on time and to a very high standard. We found their service to be much better than that of other companies that we’d used previously and as a result, we’ve already used Troax several times since the Sygnature project.”

Toledo partitioning is produced in a steel, monobloc construction and uses an inert non-particle shedding infill finish. To prevent the collection of particles and ensure easy-to-clean, smooth surfaces, Toledo is coated in powder paint and has a two-line panel junction and flush line double glazing, resulting in minimal ledges and corners.

Troax also used its one-hour fire-rated Excalibur double skin steel partitioning to construct a chemical storage facility within the laboratory. Also modular in design, Excalibur offered an easy-to-build solution ensuring the safe storage of the potentially flammable materials. Excalibur panels are designed to meet the fire resistance integrity criteria specified in BS: 476, Part 22: 1987 for a period of 60 minutes; they are of monobloc construction comprising two steel skins separated by an inert mineral wool insulating infill.