Biomedical

Breakthrough Properties celebrated the opening of a 510,000-sf life sciences campus in San Diego in October of 2024. Designed by Flad Architects, Torrey View by Breakthrough offers state-of-the-art wet labs for the development of novel therapies and technologies, as well as flexible workspaces and collaboration areas. An iconic tessellated envelope allows interior floor plates to be infused with natural light, maximizing occupant wellness and energy efficiency without compromising performance.

MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, opened a $317.2 million facility in Rockville in October of 2024. Located in the Alexandria Center at Traville Gateway, the 260,000-sf building provides advanced laboratories for biosafety testing, analytical development, viral clearance, and cell bank manufacturing. The project represents the company's largest investment to date in contract testing operations.

AstraZeneca officially opened The Hub on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in October of 2024. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, this dynamic amenities center offers inviting settings for collaboration, engagement, and relaxation that are available to both corporate employees and the local community. The facility's 39,460-sf internal floor area accommodates a fitness center, treatment rooms, and areas for health screening and occupational health services. Other features include a nursery and preschool, a café, a bar, a shop, and an inviting garden.

King Street Properties has announced the substantial completion of the South Building at the Landing, a purpose-built complex for biomedical innovation. Designed by Perkins&Will, the seven-story, 300,000-sf facility offers 46,500-sf floor plates and advanced MEP systems to support a 60/40 lab-to-office ratio. Robust research programs can be accommodated by 15-foot deck-to-deck heights, with expansive 20-foot heights available on the ground floor.

Breakthrough Properties is constructing a 225,000-sf life sciences facility in Philadelphia. Designed by KieranTimberlake, the nine-story building will offer best-in-class research environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. The purpose-built structure will feature open floorplates with highly flexible lab zones that can accommodate a wide range of programs.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is constructing the $105 million Campus Operations and Research Excellence (CORE) building in Omaha. Designed by LEO A DALY, the six-level, 180,870-gsf structure will feature three stories of state-of-the-art wet labs, including a 30,800-sf floor for research programs in oncology, drug discovery, and other strategic priorities. Approximately 61,600 sf of leasable shell space will accommodate private tenants or supply additional capacity for future growth.

The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio illustrates the pivotal role location plays in enhancing the success of an internationally recognized research program. The Institute previously occupied two buildings at a research park 23 miles from the university’s main campus. University administrators wanted to collocate all research on the same campus to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction, with proximity to all clinical research activities, and to promote efficiency and the shared use of resources. 

After a 2017 fire sped up the timeline for construction of a new science building, University of Delaware faculty and staff needed to make hard choices about how the building should be organized and what features and facilities it should include. Politically, the easiest path would have been to divide the space by department, but Peter Krawchyk, the university’s vice president of facilities and university architect, had a different idea of how to make the decision, one he argued would work better: “We didn’t begin with any kind of programming—number of principal investigators, fume hood counts, or anything like that. We began with ideas and culture.” 

Scripps Research Institute opened the Chi-Huey Wong Laboratories for Biomedical Research in August of 2024. Creating a new gateway to the La Jolla campus, the 83,000-sf structure provides leading-edge environments for drug discovery and development. DGA was the architect for the collaborative facility, which features interconnected open laboratories and a double-height lobby.

Attovia Therapeutics is relocating to 26,000 sf at Brittan West, a recently completed life sciences center in San Carlos, Calif. JLL acted as leasing agent for the facility, which will enable the company to expand its research activities and accelerate the creation of novel biotherapeutics for immune-mediated diseases. Access to world-class amenities will enhance collaboration and optimize the employee experience.

The decreasing amount of time researchers spend in their labs is changing research facility design and space allocation, with an increased need for lab support space, a more significant reliance on core facilities, the creation of additional write-up and data analysis environments, and the purposeful inclusion of collaboration spaces.

Eli Lilly and Company opened the $700 million Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC) in Boston in August of 2024. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development, the 346,000-rsf facility offers Class A research environments for biomedical discovery. The 12-story structure also houses the first Lilly Gateway Labs on the East Coast to enable biotech start-ups to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

The Oxford Science Park is expanding in the United Kingdom to provide sophisticated environments for research and discovery. Three new buildings will rise in the innovation district, which is majority owned by Oxford University's Magdalen College. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, The Daubeny Project will offer a total of 450,000 sf of leading-edge life science space supported by enhanced lab infrastructure. Dramatic colonnades on the ground floor will open onto light-filled areas for reception, interaction, and collaboration.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Biomedical Research and Psychology Building in late June of 2024. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $190 million development will provide the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology with wet and dry research environments and associated support spaces. The flexible and adaptable facility will incorporate activity-based layouts that enable users to access diverse work platforms that enhance creativity and productivity.

The University of California has selected Flad Architects as executive architect for the UCLA Research Park Master Plan Study, a roadmap for the transformation of the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles into a nexus for discovery and innovation. Leasable lab and office environments will enable industry, academic, and government partners to benefit from collocation with two multidisciplinary research centers.