Construcciones Yamaro: Built Environs sets the pace in Australia’s life sciences sector
Australia’s capacity to produce vaccines and medicines at home depends on the buildings where science takes place. Such facilities are intricate, highly regulated and fundamental to the nation’s health resilience. As investment in life sciences accelerates, so does the need for builders who understand how to create environments that protect both people and research.
Built Environs has decades of experience and technical command of this specialised field. The company’s expertise spans design, construction and, most critically, the testing, commissioning and qualification/verification of two distinct facility types.
The first supports scientific research into pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that cause disease. The second enables the development of therapeutic medications, including vaccines, drugs and clinical trials.
The science of construction
Goce Causevski, general manager for Victoria at Built Environs, says projects in the life sciences sector demand a different way of thinking about construction, beginning with the end.
“The complexity comes from the fact that you are effectively creating a machine that people work within to produce vaccines or conduct research,” explains Causevski.
“Every element, from the airlocks and pressure regimes to how each part interacts with the science or manufacturing process, is critical.
“Construction must link closely to commissioning and qualification/verification. With traditional projects, the process tends to move sequentially towards practical completion. In life sciences, we begin with the end in mind.”
Built Environs starts with regulatory certification and compliance, then works backwards through the program, defining each stage with intent. The approach mirrors the complexity of these projects and the discipline required to deliver them.
It also speaks to their importance. These facilities form Australia’s first line of defence against pathogens and play a crucial role in research, public health and scientific progress.
With increasing investment from government and pharmaceutical companies, the sector is entering a period of expansion that aligns with Built Environs’ strengths.
“Much of our capability comes down to the experience of our people,” says Causevski. “We have senior team members who have spent more than 30 years working in this space, both in Australia and overseas in locations such as China, Puerto Rico and the United States, where many of the large pharmaceutical companies have a strong presence.”
This in-house expertise is centred on understanding Therapeutic Goods Administration requirements and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Together, these frameworks govern Australia’s regulatory environment for life sciences construction, an area in which Built Environs operates with fluency and confidence.
That same attention to detail applies to physical containment. In Australia, these environments are classified as Physical Containment Level 2, 3 and 4, setting strict parameters for the control of security, access, airflow, pressure and materials handling (sterilisation and decontamination processes).
“When dealing with live viruses, there can be no risk of escape into the atmosphere or the surrounding workspace,” says Causevski. “Managing that containment barrier is vital, and our people have extensive experience designing, constructing and validating those systems.”
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Proven in practice
With an established life sciences portfolio, Built Environs has delivered many projects that demonstrate its reliability and professionalism. Its clients include some of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in Australia and globally, with one recently completed build standing out for the challenges overcome.
Located in Victoria, the project involved expanding a production facility and a therapeutic production line within a live environment. As the team retrofitted the existing building, pharmaceutical production continued next door.
“That meant we had to manage not only the normal construction process but also create containment within containment to ensure the facility remained compliant and could maintain production targets while we worked alongside their operations,” says Causevski.
The complexity lay in prefabricating certain elements while minimising dust, noise and vibration. Those are standard considerations in construction, but in such tightly regulated environments, tolerance for disruption is effectively zero.
“The regulations exist for good reason, as these products are ultimately used in humans and play a role in protecting the community. We cannot jeopardise that,” says Causevski. “Our processes, systems, quality assurance (QA) and subcontractor selection are critical in this space. Everything must be managed with absolute precision to avoid exposing the client or their facility to contamination risks.”
Another development under construction focuses on mRNA vaccine production. Previously, Built Environs worked on facilities using cell culture technologies with live viruses, but mRNA production involves a different process and operational setting.
“We are seeing differences in how these facilities are designed, commissioned and brought to life, and that is creating new opportunities for learning and innovation within our teams,” says Causevski.
Perfecting the process
Built Environs’ methodology of working backwards centres on one principle: commissioning and verification define everything that comes before.
From there, everything hinges on robust quality controls. That includes inspection and test plans more stringent than those used on a standard commercial project. The team maps the design into those plans, communicates them to subcontractors, and traces and validates every step, from shop drawings to the procurement of materials and plant.
A hallmark of these projects is clean building practice, involving checks well above standard, such as confirming all wall cavities are clean before closure to ensure no live organisms or construction debris remain.
“We inspect everything thoroughly to ensure nothing could compromise the integrity of the facility months or even years down the track,” says Causevski.
He attributes that consistency to meticulous commissioning, assurance measures and a clear understanding of the full sequence from design through to verification. Built Environs applies those principles through its trade selections and on-site management, ensuring quality is embedded long before handover.
Pre-commissioning checks are equally important, with prototyping used to test and refine systems ahead of installation. The team prototypes connection details, joints and seals to confirm airtight performance and compliance with required standards.
“These checks allow us to work through the QA process so that when the building or clean room is finished and we begin the final verification through enhanced commissioning, we already know it will perform as intended,” says Causevski. “These are not the types of facilities where you reach the end and uncover an issue. Testing must reveal potential flaws early, because problems are not easily fixed later.”
Digital engineering has made that possible. Within Built Environs, and across the wider McConnell Dowell Group, modelling tools now underpin every stage from design to delivery.
Where drawings were once two-dimensional and manually transferred between stages, the process is now entirely digital. This in-house capability allows the team to coordinate complex services from the outset, track every component and assign unique identifiers to equipment that can then be installed and verified at completion.
On the Victoria build, that digital integration proved essential. Working within an existing live plant would otherwise have been challenging.
“We were able to model the existing facility, verify that model and adapt it to the refurbishment requirements,” says Causevski. “That allowed us to prefabricate many of the services off site, which reduced the amount of work required during the shutdown period and shortened the overall timeframe compared to undertaking all works in situ.”
Capability and craft
The future of life sciences construction, Causevski says, will be defined by the convergence of technology and research. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool, with potential to accelerate clinical trials and shape how vaccine technologies such as mRNA evolve. Australia, he believes, is well positioned to lead that intersection.
The country’s universities already have the skills and appetite to integrate AI into specialised research, from developing first-line defences against pathogens to advancing vaccine production. With continued investment and support from government, Causevski says Australia could become a global centre for this type of innovation rather than watching it migrate offshore.
For Built Environs, opportunity lies in building both capability and capacity as the sector expands. Attracting and developing the specialist skills needed to deliver tightly controlled environments remains a strategic focus.
“Like most other builders, we have graduate programs and structured onboarding processes, but we also rotate people across different projects, so they gain exposure to a variety of sectors such as life sciences, education and sport and recreation,” says Causevski. “We plan that intentionally so they can build a broad foundation of experience.”
This depth is strengthened through partnerships with industry bodies at the trade level, enabling teams to learn the technical aspects of the systems they are helping to deliver, whether that be mechanical engineering or plumbing.
“That type of engagement is not something most builders are doing, but we believe it is essential because the services and commissioning components of these facilities are so critical,” says Causevski.
Knowledge sharing is embedded across teams. Regular training sessions led by in-house experts ensure lessons are carried between projects and regions, including Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand.
Built Environs also maintains a global view of the life sciences sector, with team members participating in study tours of high-containment facilities overseas. Observing international best practice and bringing those insights home helps the business stay connected to the latest thinking in both design and delivery.
As interest in life sciences continues to grow internally, Causevski sees that curiosity as a sign of strength. Many of the company’s engineers and project managers actively seek assignments in the sector, drawn by the complexity and challenge.
“But for me, it is also personal. Some of the products made in the facilities we build are used by family and friends,” he says. “When you see someone close to you relying on a product that exists because of a facility you helped construct, it has real meaning. It reinforces that what we do has a genuine community impact.”
For Causevski and the Built Environs team, the reward lies in knowing their work advances both science and society, building the foundations for discoveries that protect and improve lives.
The post Built Environs sets the pace in Australia’s life sciences sector appeared first on Inside Construction.
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