Quality Testing Laboratory
Baker Hughes
Location: Broussard, LA
Size: 75,000 GSF
Delivery Method: Design-Build
Construction Type: New Construction
Challenge
Baker Hughes’ joint facility in Broussard Louisiana supports its Gulf of Mexico operations with multiple product lines, each of which had its own testing laboratory. The company wanted to create some economies of scale by consolidating all the divisions’ laboratory needs into a single facility.
Solution
We met with lab managers independently and collectively to understand the nature of their work, the workflows and processes, and the types of labs they needed. The original goal was to consolidate all the labs into an existing building. But through numerous programming and design exercises, we realized the square footage they needed was greater than the capacity of the existing building. So, the client commissioned us to design a new building to become a campus centerpiece.
The resulting three-story facility is home to a 15,000 SF laboratory, a 5,000 SF cafeteria, and offices, providing 24/7 support to the offshore rigs as well as land rigs in the Gulf area. The laboratory processes samples from thousands of cementing products, fluids, and chemicals monthly to ensure their products continue to withstand the harsh conditions of Gulf Coast deepwater drilling environments.
