SPIE expertise & innovation put to use for the new IARC Headquarters

A large-scale development for the research sector in the Lyon region

The IARC is the United Nations' global cancer prevention agency. It is responsible for promoting international collaboration on cancer research, working with the USA, international organisations (including the WHO), public and private sector parties and researchers in a variety of fields in over 140 countries.

This new 15,200m2 mixed-use building, strategically located in the heart of Lyon's Biodistrict and including offices, laboratories, an auditorium and meeting rooms positioned around an atrium, is a flagship project for the Lyon region.

The Tertiaire division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire worked upfront on this project with Demathieu Bard, who won this Design-Production contract. The company entrusted the Tertiaire division with the climate engineering and electrical installations for the IARC.

'We have the advantage of considerable experience in supporting scientific research projects that demand implementation of highly specialized technical skills and we're very proud to participate in this achievement of excellence in a project with global impact', says Arnaud Tirmarche, Managing Director of the Tertiaire division. 'We are demonstrating yet again here the appropriateness of providing our customers with a macro-lot solution. This allows us to manage all lot interface-related issues, while helping to optimise the building's energy performance.'

Expertise & innovation deployed for IARC's benefit

This project, due for completion in 2022, demands an extensive range of skills and a highly experienced team to carry out these assignments.

This multidisciplinary team will provide its heating, air conditioning, ventilation and air purification know-how in office areas and laboratories in accordance with UN regulations^[1], which demand some of the highest construction health and safety standards. The laboratory work follows strict air quality standards imposed by the classification of its different areas, ranging from L1 to L3. 'Our experience in the hospital sector and in carrying out work for health facilities has grown steadily in recent years, the result being that we continue to secure new contracts', notes Denis Vinsonneau, business manager within the Tertiaire division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire.

The electrical engineering tasks call on all of SPIE's electrical and electronic engineering skills (heavy and light current). They will also allow the division to make the most of its innovation capability. 'Our teams proposed that the customer install a dynamic UPS^[2]. We are one of the very few companies in the sector to utilise this. It guarantees optimum security of the electrical facilities for the entire building. In parallel with this, we will install a VDV system (Voice Data Video) with a star topology, consisting of around 3,000 connection points to provide a solution that can adapt to future changes in the building', notes Christophe Vialle, business manager at SPIE.

The entire project was modelled in BIM, allowing the teams to use the mixed reality technology developed by the Tertiaire division. This means they can view the mock-up on the site via a headset. This tool allows best possible preparation for the project, lets us measure its progress, identify sticking points and feedback information as required to the design office, etc. This solution lets teams make use of a wide range of high-performance solutions to ensure the project runs smoothly.

_{[1] Architectural standards and safety standards set by the UN for the construction of its buildings.}

_{[2] Batteryless uninterrupted power supply (UPS) which compensates for brownouts or power line disturbances with a flywheel that takes over before the backup power sources are activated.}

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