CLEANROOMS PAUL MARSH – CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, BES, UK


Delivery of cleanroom environment adds value


The challenge of ‘on budget/on time’ delivery is a demanding target in the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets, where these requirements often have, in the case of cleanroom and laboratory environments, the added demand of fully documented compliance. Paul Marsh, chief operating officer of design consultancy and contractor BES, addresses how early engagement from in-house multidisciplinary teams helps mitigate risk for such complex and critical projects.


The UK healthcare construction market faced increased demand in 2021 for healthcare provision during the pandemic, positively stimulating what has been a declining market over recent years. The next five years, however, will see some growth with funding of NHS capital projects expected to continue to grow in average real terms of 3.8 per cent per year. As specialists working with NHS Trusts and pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, we have seen evidence of this trend alongside increased demand in the sophistication of cleanroom and laboratory design.


Clients’ demand improved, with more


efficient facilities delivered faster and within ever more tightly controlled budgets. Increased patient and infection control safety measures mean architectural design, specifications, and validation become ever more involved, and dealing with the different demands of specialist contractors, new technologies, and highly sophisticated environments adds to the complexities of delivering such projects to programme and on budget. Add to that - whether a new build or


refurbishment - keeping highly critical facilities operational during construction, whether hospital units, pharmacies, or any patient accessible area, compounds the delivery challenges. In hospitals, clinicians may have concerns with how


patients access and exit the space in which their procedures take place; for pharmacists it may be the flow of materials in prescription preparation areas. These requirements are also coupled


with increasing emphasis from estates teams and hospital directors on


considering a building’s lifecycle costs and carbon footprint. With energy price rises very much front of mind, inevitably the heavy reliance within clean rooms on HVAC systems and the need for resilience in hospitals is under increasing focus. Other factors include the size of the


Paul Marsh


With a 30 year career in the construction industry, Paul has been instrumental in developing BES into one of the leading providers to the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life sciences sectors. One of the company’s original founding team, Paul’s remit includes enhancing the organisational resilience and world class project delivery.


Paul’s background is in HVAC design, gaining a Hons degree at UMIST before moving into project management. Having delivered a wide range of projects from high grade cleanrooms and functional laboratories within


operational areas, to modern brownfield production facilities, Paul’s experience ranges from initial client contact and concept schemes to fast track modular and traditional construction and hands-on validation.


Keen to continue his own personal development, Paul has a Diploma from the Institute of Leadership and Management


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