Operations
Private & Accelerator Lab Spaces
- Private and Accelerator Lab spaces outfitted with:
- 4-degree refrigerator
- -20-degree freezer
- cell culture incubators (single or double stack)
- CO2 supply
- 4ft. or 6ft. chemical fume hoods in select labs with flammable storage
- 5ft. biosafety cabinet
- deionized and ultrapure water system
3rd & 4th Floor Shared Lab Spaces
- 3rd and 4th floor Shared Lab spaces outfitted with:
- -80 freezer shared storage
- liquid nitrogen shared storage and service
- deionized and ultrapure water systems
- autoclave and glass washers
- ultra-, high speed-, and benchtop centrifuges (rotor assortment)
- endpoint, quantitative, and digital PCR (AbsoluteQ and QIAcuity)
- microscopy: phase, brightfield, IF, and imaging (ECHO, Agilent, Zeiss Axiovert A1, EVOS M5000 and M7000 with onstage incubation)
- flow cytometer (Attune NxT, 4 laser, autosampler)
- plate readers [Synergy Neo2, Cytation5, Promega Discover (2)]
- transfection system (Neon)
- western imaging system (Odyssey DLX)
- nucleic acid extraction system, automated (Promega Maxwell)
- Qiagen automation (QIAcube, QIAgility, QIAcuity systems)
- electrophoresis (E-gel Power Snap)
- waterbaths and beadbaths
- cell counting system (Countess)
- Cloning Room with bacterial shakers and oven
- spectrophotometer (NanoDrop) and fluorometer (Qubit)
- sonicator
- desiccator
- scales and analytical balance
- CTU Monitoring (site-wide, Elemental Machines)
- shared Tissue Culture Rooms (3rd and 4th floors)
- central vacuum
- transilluminator (Accuris E3000)
- 5ft biosafety cabinets
- pH meter (Orion Star A211)
Instrument Legend
View or download the Instrument Legend here.
Service Amenities
- biological and chemical waste stream management
- janitorial service
- lab coat service
- wet and dry ice supplied [338 and 441]
- BioLabs Marketplace-supported ordering system
- ThermoFisher lab vending (“Supply Centers”) [3rd and 4th Floors]
- Dry Storage (lab-specific lockers in 301 and 449)
- walk-in Cold Storage (446)
- site-wide WiFi [SSID: BlabsPublic / PW: BLabs2929Arch]
Office Amenities
- private offices and dedicated workstations (4th floor)
- “hot-desking” space (349)
- Lounge (320)
- Conference Rooms (3rd and 4th Floors; scheduling by Roomzilla)
- Conference Space (CytoPHL; 2nd floor)
- Free Cira Gym Access
- Locker Rooms (354)
- Wellness / Maternity room (448)
Rules and Regulations
The simple rule for collegial operations within shared spaces (lab, conference, and office) at B+labs is to leave shared workspace and or equipment and instruments in the same or better condition than when you found them. Many instruments within shared spaces are required to be left in a particular setting, and we kindly ask that you leave any instrument in next-user-ready-condition. We also ask that any data generated from a particular instrument is cleared from the screen and each user/company log off after procedure completion.
Security
B+labs uses a security badge access system for all labs and external access points, including freight elevators. Each company employee will be onboarded with the issuance of a security badge to include name and photograph. If you have not received a badge or have lost or suspect your badge stolen, please contact Crisbel Baez at crisbel.baez@blabscira.com (we do urge expediency if you believe your badge has been lost or stolen). We also request that visitors and/or guests complete the Visitor Access login at the Front Desk (2nd Floor).
Security footage (video surveillance) is constant within the lab and office spaces at B+labs. If there is a security concern regarding the lab and or office space, please communicate the concern to Bob Rovinsky (bob.rovinsky@blabscira.com). B+labs retains security tapes for 90 days and will be able to access and review data as requested to resolve any situations.
If a security event takes place within Cira Centre, but outside of B+labs, B+labs will assist in coordinating with Cira Centre to the best of our ability.
Shipping and Mail
The Cira Center Mailroom is located in the rear lobby and is accessible via the freight elevator access points on Floors 2, 3, and 4 (press ‘L’ on the freight elevator). Please use your B+labs access card to move between these floors on the freight elevator. Crisbel Baez (crisbel.baez@blabscira.com), is the primary point of contact.
Outgoing Mail
Letters or flats can be delivered by the tenant to the Mailroom before 3:00PM for same-day outgoing mail. Mail delivered after 3:00PM will post the next day. Outgoing FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other courier shipments must be delivered by the tenant to Cira Centre Mailroom by 4:00PM to ensure same day pickup.
NOTE: For FedEx ground, it is necessary the tenant contact FedEx to arrange pick- up. FedEx shipping materials are available in the B+labs Mailroom (Room 351).
Incoming Mail
Ship to address:
(Individual Name)
(Company Name)
c/o B+labs, (Floor #), (Rm #)
2929 Arch St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States Postal Service (USPS) delivers to Cira Centre Monday thru Friday between 12:00PM to 2:00PM. All USPS mail will be placed in the B+labs Mailroom (Room 351) on the 3rd Floor for resident companies.
If items are arriving via non-standard UPS, FedEx, or DHL, etc. delivery and require a pallet for delivery (fridges, freezers, most centrifuges, etc.) this will require the use and scheduling of the Cira Centre loading dock. The Point of Contact / Team Lead will need to coordinate with Tim Lutz, Manager of Lab Operations (tim.lutz@blabscira.com), to schedule a time for usage of the loading dock.
Loading Dock Policy
Reservations for the loading dock must be made 48 hours in advance with the Property Management Office. Normal hours of operation are 7:00AM to 3:00PM. Drivers must have cell phone to call dock master for instructions and to cross them over tracks. All deliveries with more than two axles, greater than twenty minutes, or that require using pallets, must use the loading dock. Forty-eight hour notice required during normal loading dock hours for deliveries. Please be advised that ALL construction and large deliveries requiring more than one hour of dock and/or freight elevator time must be done after hours, between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM Monday through Friday or over the weekend, from Saturday at 1:00PM to 6:00 AM Monday morning.
Loading Dock Form
Non-Loading Dock
Trucks with two axles requiring 30 minutes or less and deliveries requiring hand trucks are permitted to deliver on Arch Street. Couriers and hand-delivered packages shall be delivered to this location as well.
The Loading Dock Request Form is here.
Courier Services
Incoming FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other couriers are received throughout the day and will be accepted at the Cira Mail Service window. Delivery personnel will deliver the package(s) to the respective floor’s freight elevator vestibule, accessible via security badge. It is the responsibility of B+labs resident cos. to check the vestibule to retrieve your package.
If you have a temperature sensitive package arriving, follow your delivery tracking number and retrieve your package upon arrival.
Scheduling
Scheduling user times on tissue culture, instruments, and conference rooms is really the grease that keeps the wheels turning. When experimental plans collide, this can have impactful consequences for users given the time-sensitive nature of many experiments. As such, B+labs uses the Roomzilla scheduling system: https://www.roomzilla.net. Each company and on-site employee at B+labs should have received an invitation to join the B+labs Roomzilla scheduling system. If you have not, please contact Crisbel Baez at crisbel.baez@blabscira.com.