Thermal Projects
Centralized ultra-low temperature vaults, GMP environmentally controlled rooms, and stability rooms. Engineered, built, and validated by one team.
Every thermal build combines precise temperature control, integrated monitoring, built-in safety, and custom construction, so conditions stay stable and audit-ready for the life of the room.
Precise Temperature Control
Chambers run from -80°C to +40°C with uniformity to ±0.5°C, holding conditions steady across storage, operations, and research.
Integrated Monitoring
Real-time tracking of temperature, humidity, and other critical parameters builds the audit trail and compliance-ready records regulators expect.
Safety and Alarms
Built-in alarms, air-quality controls, and hazard prevention protect both stored materials and your people.
Custom Construction
Modular, custom-sized assemblies adapt to the space and hold up under demanding conditions.
Cold Storage the Science Depends On
CBRE designs and builds cold storage for every application below, holding the exact conditions each sample requires.
DNA & Genetic Material
Stable temperatures preserve samples and genetic material, protecting molecular integrity over long storage periods.
Protein Purification
Controlled cold environments let researchers run sensitive biochemical work without sample degradation.
Vaccines & Medicines
Secure storage for temperature-sensitive products protects efficacy and keeps the cold chain compliant.
Agricultural Research
Precise cold storage for seeds, specimens, and samples supports long-duration agricultural studies.
End-to-End Support From First Design to Ongoing Maintenance
Bespoke Design
We start with your thermal requirements, space constraints, and compliance obligations, then engineer a solution built to those exact specifications.
Expert Installation
Our team handles turnkey installation of panels, refrigeration, controls, and monitoring, with structural integrity and thermal performance verified from day one.
Ongoing Maintenance
We keep systems compliant and performing with calibration, validation, scheduled maintenance, and rapid-response servicing.
Cut Energy, Space and Risk With One Vault
The Ultra Low Temperature Vault consolidates -80°C capacity into a single redundant, walk-in environment that beats a freezer farm on energy efficiency, footprint size, and compliance.
Up to 75% Energy Reduction
One central refrigeration system replaces dozens of freezer compressors. Typical ROI lands in 18 to 36 months.
25–50% Footprint Reduction
A high-capacity walk-in vault replaces a sprawling freezer farm, returning floor space to science.
Uniform Temperature Throughout
Built-in redundancy and control hold uniform conditions across the full storage volume, not just the center.
No Supplemental HVAC
The vault removes the heat load a freezer farm dumps into the room, cutting HVAC investment and energy use.
Simplified Monitoring & Validation
A few monitored chambers replace dozens of validation points, so audit prep takes less time.
Full Mechanical Redundancy
Dual refrigeration comes standard, not as an upgrade. Optional liquid nitrogen backup adds a third layer of protection.
Case study: two vaults vs. an 80-unit freezer farm, $8.68M saved over 20 years for a cancer research lab
| Parameter | 80-Unit Freezer Farm | (2) Vault Storage Systems |
| Equipment | 80 × Thermo TDE 600 (28.5 cu.ft) | 4 vaults (-80°C) + 2 corridors (-20°C) + 2 ante rooms (+4°C) |
| Cold Storage Capacity | 2,280 cu.ft | 2,400 cu.ft |
| Daily Energy | 1,064 kWh/day | 224 kWh/day |
| Heat Rejection Load | 1,521 kWh/day | 16 kWh/day |
| Annual OpEx | $389,187 / yr | $42,908 / yr |
| Planning Footprint | 3,899 sq ft | 2,245 sq ft |
| Electrical Circuits | 80 drops | 6 drops |
| Monitored Points | 80 units | 8 chambers |
| Lifecycle Replacement | Fleet swap Yr 7 & Yr 14 ($3.2M) | Compressors Yr 15 ($200K) |
Centralizing the cold load cuts energy and cost together
The freezer farm drew 1,064 kWh per day and rejected 1,521 kWh per day of heat into the building's HVAC. The vault reduced direct energy by 79% and thermal burden by 96.8%.
Over 20 years, the vault solution saved 6.13 million kWh, roughly $2M in energy costs, and avoided 1,226 metric tons of CO₂e emissions.
Over 20 years, the vault solution saved 6.13 million kWh, roughly $2M in energy costs, and avoided 1,226 metric tons of CO₂e emissions.
A tighter footprint leaves fewer ways to fail
The freezer farm needed 3,899 sq. ft. with a 7-foot maintenance perimeter. Two vaults delivered equal (slightly greater) capacity in 2,245 sq. ft., returning 1,654 sq. ft. (42.4%) to the science. Monitoring dropped from 80 independent points to 3 chambers with zone isolation, containing any deviation.
Thermal Builds We Have Delivered
GMP-Compliant Freezer Room for a Vaccine Storage Facility
We designed and installed a multi-zone freezer room for a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer: 385 sq. ft. of regulated storage holding a continuous -20°C, with monitoring and alarms wired for audit from day one.
GMP-Compliant Grade C Clean Cold Rooms
We engineered a high-specification, walk-in cold laboratory for protein purification workflows. Modular insulation, ±1°C uniformity, and custom casework created a precise environment for sensitive research.
R&D Cold Storage, Ground-Up Facility
We delivered eight fully validated cold environments as part of a ground-up construction program. Engineered for precision and regulatory compliance, these spaces now anchor the client's highest-profile R&D work.
Cleanroom-Adjacent Cold Storage for a Biotech Manufacturing Site
We engineered a cold room adjacent to a critical cleanroom, holding strict pressure differentials and contamination controls. Integrated into the client's building management system (BMS), it met full regulatory compliance within a 10-week timeline.
Environmental Cold Storage for Clinical-Stage Biotechnology
We delivered a precise 2°C to 8°C cold room built to protect stability-sensitive clinical materials. Cooling redundancy and continuous monitoring removed single points of failure across the client's critical inventory.