Molnlycke Health Care

Mölnlycke Health Care, a global manufacturer of long-term wound care products, is headquartered in Sweden. The company sought to expand its global reach into the U.S market with a new manufacturing facility at Brunswick Landing, thirty minutes from a sister plant in Wiscasset. The resulting 79,800-sf, facility houses a cleanroom production area, a two-story office wing, and a warehouse.

Mölnlycke’s high-tech cleanroom operations, along with their European aesthetic, provided an opportunity to make a strong design statement. In addition, the company would be greeting visitors from abroad and giving tours to leaders from the medical industry. Showcasing their wound-care products and providing a means to view the manufacturing process would be an important function of the building.

White-gridded insulated panels articulate the lobby, office and laboratory portions of the finished building and emphasize the clean, medical nature of the products, while a muted volume enclosing manufacturing rises beyond. The approach is highlighted by a two-story curtain wall façade punctuated with a canted, maroon entrance. The warm lobby is accented with wood and features a built-in display case of products, bulbous diffusers, and a hanging globe sculpture referencing the Mölnlycke logo. A south-facing vertical window with sun shelves accentuates a monumental stair leading up to a viewing gallery overlooking the manufacturing process. Stainless steel posts and tensioned cables lend a sleek, medical feel to the stair. In the second floor office area, carpeting plays on the Mölnlycke logo with subtle green circles, and the reflection of natural light through south-facing windows and skylights provide a light and airy work environment.

The exterior skin is comprised of R 28.8 insulated aluminum sandwich panels in a variety of textures and colors. Infrared imaging conducted during commissioning confirmed excellent insulation performance of the wall panels, building openings and curtain wall. The cleanroom area was designed to rigorous ISO level 8 standards which required pressure mapping, tight temperature and humidity control ranges, air filtering, and stratified air flow. Heat recovery ventilation and heat recovery from facility processes are captured and used for efficient heating and reheating. The cleanroom also features a walkable ceiling that segregates mechanical and electrical systems for ease of service and protection of sensitive production processes. Lighting throughout the facility uses energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures or LED sources for downlights, and the lighting design considers available daylight where applicable. The building achieved Maine Advanced Building standards set by Efficiency Maine and Energy Star.