Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Ashburn, VA

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a nonprofit medical research organization. It is one of the nation’s leading philanthropies and a leader in advancing biomedical research and science education. The campus in Ashburn, known as the Janelia Farm Research Campus, is designed to promote collaborative biomedical research that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Opened in 2006, the campus further extends the institute’s commitment to research and discovery.

The project encompassed the complete new construction of a medical research laboratory in the main building, a conference center, and overnight rooms for visiting researchers for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

NFP installed wet pipe sprinkler, dry pipe sprinkler, and preaction systems; remote fire hose valves; custom-made stainless steel piping, sleeves, and escutcheons; and a fire pump in the Main Building. Approximately 8500 sprinklers were installed throughout the 950,000 square foot facility.

The first floor was a mix of mechanical space and conference center, with the second and third floors of the building being designated for laboratory use. As part of the project, two major “Feature Stairs” were constructed. These stairs are a means of egress from floor to floor; they are encased in a structural glass enclosure that is protected by custom-made seamlessly welded stainless steel sprinkler piping, which was attached to the structure. Additionally, the glass encased connector corridors that run the entire length of the building on the façade of the second and third floors are protected by sprinklers that are attached to custom-made stainless steel sprinkler escutcheons and piping that is concealed in a custom-made stainless steel sleeve.

NFP installed wet pipe sprinkler systems incorporating 500 sprinklers in the 16,000 square foot Conference Center. Besides the conference center itself, the building also contains 48 overnight rooms. NFP coordinated the final locations of the sprinklers with the architect in order to produce an architecturally pleasing aesthetic.