CSL’s Project Aurora was honoured with the Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) at the annual International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Global Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA on 26 October 2025. Wood’s Life Sciences team in Melbourne served as the architectural and engineering partner to this groundbreaking project, which doubled our client’s plasma production capabilities.
With a capacity to process over 10 million plasma-equivalent litres annually, CSL’s Project Aurora is the world’s largest hub dedicated to plasma-based fractionation. This award highlights the significant improvements made to the facility, which includes a state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, where advanced robotics and automation technologies are seamlessly integrated, from initial design to full-scale operations.
We are proud to have been the design partner for this facility, which is setting a new benchmark for innovation in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. These advancements will not only make a significant impact on efficiency for CSL, but also for those in need of the life-changing products they produce.
With a Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) value of AU900M, Facility F encompasses key technologies for process novelty, innovative modular design, and advanced filtration technology. This project investment made Facility F the largest fractionation facility in the world at 795,000 gross sqft.
Despite working on this project amid challenges posed by the pandemic, Wood and CSL maintained best-in-class safety and project execution standards. Over 2.7 million hours were worked with only four Lost Time Incidents (LTI), and this project was delivered 25% faster than comparable projects through early procurement and parallel execution.
ISPE FOYA voted and nominated Aurora Facility F as a finalist for 2025 in the categories of Innovation, Operations and Social Impact in January. Then in May, ISPE Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) winners were announced and CSL won the award in the Pharma 4.0 category for the Facility F project in Melbourne.
Watch the 2025 ISPE FOYA Category Winner for Pharma 4.0 - CSL Behring video below
