Laboratories and research facilities are standard construction projects in almost all respects but one: they require highly specialized mechanical systems. Acid-resistant drains, stainless or glass-lined piping, ventilation with 100 percent air makeup, strict humidity and temperature controls, are typical mechanical requirements in a research building.

The John E. Green Company has installed mechanical systems in some of the region's largest and most complex research facilities - both for commercial and institutional research. We recognize the high level of project coordination required to meet the many special needs of an advanced research facility.

John E. Green served as mechanical contractor for the original construction and several new phases of the Parke Davis research complex. In the Biochemistry Laboratory building, our work included extensive installations of specialized process equipment, including glass-lined tanks, steam coils and distillers.

The testing and research facility for the Flint Ink Company required ventilation capable of 100 percent air makeup with frequent air changes. John E. Green installed heat exchangers in the system to reclaim heat that otherwise would have been lost with the vented air. Our work also included installations of all other mechanical systems and specialized apparatus in organic laboratories used for formulation and testing of new printing ink compounds.

The Industrial Technology Institute in Ann Arbor is the nation's first complete facility for the industry-wide testing and certification of industrial robots and automated machine tools. Every system used by the nation's largest manufacturers will be tested and certified as meeting specific standards for software and hardware compatibility. John E. Green provided all major mechanical systems for this exotic industrial laboratory, including hydraulic and pneumatic systems required for the robot test labs.

The animal care facility at Difco Laboratories in Ann Arbor houses both large and small animals. John E. Green installed stainless steel cage washers, a watering system, a waste disposal system, and special ventilation systems to control odors in the cage area. Under the same contract, we installed all mechanical systems for the main building which contains 16 laboratories.

We provided all plumbing and mechanical systems in the Parke Davis Toxicology Building, a four-story facility with sixteen labs on each floor. Since toxic fumes pose a special danger in these labs, we installed a high-capacity ventilation system equipped with heat exchangers to recover energy from the vented air.

We also installed economizers in the boiler system in the Parke Davis power house, plus an underground storage tank for fuel oil.

This page was last updated:   04/06/99