Case Study
Resilient Infrastructure & Smart Research Backbone
Owner-side MEP design for a national research facility requiring resilience against flood, contamination, and utility failure.
Civil, sanitary, HVAC, and digital infrastructure were designed independently with no unified resilience approach. Flood protection, contamination control, water continuity, and HPC uptime were treated separately. An integrated design approach was imposed, aligning redundancy, containment, and failover across building systems.
Executive Summary
A national research facility required infrastructure capable of operating under flood risk, contamination control requirements, and utility failure. The project lacked a coordinated approach across civil, sanitary, HVAC, and digital systems, creating risk of single points of failure. An integrated infrastructure design was introduced, aligning flood protection, water systems, HVAC containment, and backup power. Redundancy and failover were coordinated across systems, supporting continuous operation under failure scenarios.
Project Snapshot
- Client
- Department of Agricultural Affairs (DOA)
- Location
- Chatuchak (Bang Khen), Bangkok, Thailand
- Site Area
- Approx. 25,000 sqm GFA
- Contract Value
- USD 3 million
- Duration
- 36 months (design & construction)
- Services Delivered
- Civil Engineering, Sanitary & Chemical, Laboratory HVAC & Special Ventilation, Waste Management, Hydraulic Modeling, HPC Infrastructure (Cooling & Power), Digital Commissioning
The Challenge
The context, constraints, and risks shaping the project from the start.
The project required infrastructure capable of maintaining operation under flood risk, contamination control, and utility failure. Failure would affect research samples, equipment, and data.
Complexity
- Flood risk requiring protection against operational loss
- Contamination and discharge requirements for laboratory systems
- HPC systems requiring redundancy beyond conventional design
What Was at Stake
Without resilient infrastructure, flood events or utility failures could disrupt operations, compromise compliance, and damage research.
How Chenla Stepped In
The targeted actions we took to resolve the core issues.
An integrated infrastructure design was imposed across civil, sanitary, HVAC, and digital systems, enforcing redundancy and verifying failure response through testing.
Key Actions
- Raised platform level defined from hydraulic modeling and drainage limits
- Water continuity provided through storage and redundant supply lines
- Gravity-based water distribution used to maintain pressure during outages
- Chemical waste routed through a dual-drain network to a treatment plant
- Laboratory HVAC designed with 100% outdoor air and pressure control
- HPC systems supported by redundant power and cooling paths
- Failure response verified through testing and simulated outage scenarios
Framework in Action
The Canopy Framework™ principles most active on this project.
The engineering principles later formalized into internal methods can be seen here. Civil, sanitary, HVAC, and digital systems were coordinated to remove single points of failure. Hydraulic modeling, redundancy design, and testing verified system performance under failure conditions.
Coordination as the System
“Shape the terrain so the right path is the easy path.”
Upstream Intervention
“Catch it on paper, not on site.”
Solution Highlights
What Chenla delivered to address the project's challenges.
Flood Defense by Design
An elevated platform protects critical systems above flood levels.
Water Security
Water storage and gravity-driven distribution maintain supply during outages.
Laboratory HVAC Containment
100% outdoor air systems and controlled exhaust maintain containment.
HPC Uptime
Redundant power and cooling were validated through testing.
Outcomes
What changed for the client as a direct result of our intervention.
Operational Results
- Continuous operation supported through redundancy and failover
- Reduced flood risk exposure
- Reduced energy use
- Chemical waste treatment capacity established
Client Benefits
- Continuity of research operations during floods and outages
- Reduced environmental and regulatory risk
- Lower lifecycle costs
- Resilient infrastructure for research computing
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION & OUTPUTS
Down-Feed Water System Diagram
Diagram showing roof tanks, gravity mains, and water distribution.