Skender, serving as general contractor, recently completed interior construction of a 7,500-square-foot compounding pharmacy at a large Chicago hospital that consolidates three existing oncology pharmacies while expanding capacity to support projected growth.

The new sterile pharmacy allows for the safe preparation, mixing and packaging of drugs to meet individual patient needs. It features six compounding spaces that were constructed using cleanroom design to keep airborne particles within specified limits. The project also includes 17 mixing hoods, refrigerated and non-refrigerated drug storage, and an interlocked ante-room with cleanroom doors that allow the opening of only one door at a time.

To comply with cleanroom specifications, material selection included solid surface wall protection, Terra Universal cleanroom doors, lab casework and extensive mechanical equipment to support cleanroom functionality and standards.

The project took place within an active hospital, requiring special logistics and safety measures, such as precise-sized materials to fit elevators, extensive noise and vibration controls, and electrical and plumbing shutdown coordination. With space and access constraints, a knockdown air handling unit was delivered in panelized sections, assembled and installed on site over four weeks.

Skender worked with Kahler Slater and ESD to successfully complete the new pharmacy.