Biomedical

BeiGene opened an $800 million center for biologics manufacturing and research in July of 2024 in Hopewell, N.J. Sited on 42 acres at the Princeton West Innovation Campus, the development provides 400,000 sf of dedicated space for commercial-stage production of cancer therapies. A 100,000-sf lab building accommodates clinical R&D suites and collaborative office settings. As BeiGene's U.S. headquarters and flagship manufacturing facility, the highly flexible complex integrates universal design principles to create an adaptable, human-centric environment.

The University of Southern California is planning to break ground in late 2024 on the $315 million Discovery and Translational Hub on its Health Sciences Campus in Los Angeles. Designed by SmithGroup, the seven-story, 250,000-gsf building will provide advanced biomedical research environments in a ratio of 75 percent wet lab to 25 percent dry lab. Sited atop two additional levels of subterranean shell space, the 150,00-asf facility will include collaboration areas, offices, meeting venues, a biorepository, and a core lab for medicinal chemistry.

Brown University began demolition in summer of 2024 to make way for the Integrated Life Sciences Building (ILSB) in Providence’s Jewelry District. Standing seven stories high, the 300,000-sf facility will provide six levels of wet and dry laboratories for research programs in biology, medicine, neuroscience, bioengineering, and public health. TenBerke and Ballinger designed the center with a publicly accessible ground floor that will offer a forum, gallery, and café.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is a highly collaborative organization at the forefront of both research and clinical care, with 20% of clinical faculty supporting research studies and 12,000 studies under way at any given time. A central paradigm of its translational research workplace is a “condo” model, where a group of investigators with a well-defined mission elect to share research space and equipment to foster collaboration and innovation. Now, a recent initiative is harnessing data in new ways to build upon and expand the power of the condo to advance Mayo Clinic’s mission for decades to come. 

BXP recently completed a 113,000-rsf innovation hub in Waltham, Mass. Designed by TRIA, 103 CityPoint aims to reshape corporate culture for science and technology tenants, energizing its workforce and accelerating growth. The flexible flour-story structure provides 80 percent laboratory and office space, with 20 percent accommodating a double-height cGMP manufacturing area spanning approximately 25,000 sf.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) will begin construction in summer of 2024 on the $120 million Healthcare Delivery & Innovation Building. Designed by RDG and Clark & Enersen, the 200,000-sf facility will provide state-of-the-art learning environments for the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry. The six-story structure will feature advanced simulation suites and clinical training labs where the next generation of medical professionals will gain hands-on experience in the delivery of team-based care.

The Davis Companies and Invesco Real Estate completed construction in June of 2024 on a 215,000-sf research facility in Cambridge. Designed by Jacobs, 101 Smith Place is the third structure in a new life sciences cluster called The Quad and offers 161,616 rsf of Class A lab and office space. Features include:

Merck is expanding its Darmstadt headquarters campus with the construction of a $66 million quality control facility for MilliporeSigma, the company’s life science business. Spanning approximately 105,000 sf, the four-story building will provide GMP labs and cleanrooms for the testing of medicines and biological agents. The flexible structure is designed to enhance operational efficiencies and will bring 135 employees from different departments together in one collaborative location.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette began construction in June of 2024 on a significant expansion of the New Iberia Research Center, the nation's largest facility for nonhuman primates. Creating an onsite BSL-3 laboratory for the study of infectious diseases and select agents, the $25 million project will enable the development of novel vaccines, diagnostics, and mitigation solutions. Paul J.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is constructing the $480 million Morgan Center for Research & Innovation on its Schuylkill River waterfront campus. Situated next to the existing Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, the 350,000-sf tower will provide state-of-the-art labs and core facilities where investigators and clinicians from different disciplines can engage in collaborative discovery.

Washington State University Vancouver dedicated the $63.8 million Life Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by SRG + CannonDesign, the 60,000-sf facility collocates the university’s basic, translational, applied, and clinical health programs in a single integrated location. The three-story structure provides faculty research suites, classrooms and teaching labs for biology and chemistry, and specialized learning venues for courses in nursing, psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and molecular biology.

WACKER opened the mRNA Competence Center in June of 2024 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. Representing an investment of over €100 million, the next-generation facility enables the large-scale production of active ingredients based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The building spans a total floor area of 79,653 sf and accommodates four new lines supported by advanced infrastructure, including 17,222 sf of glass-enclosed cleanroom space for bioprocessing under controlled conditions. 

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School opened the $325 million New Education and Research Building in June of 2024 in Worcester. ZGF Architects and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge designed the 350,000-sf project to drive discovery in gene therapy, molecular medicine, and the neurosciences, as well as housing the departments of neurology and neurobiology.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center began construction in June of 2024 on the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center in Sharonville, Ohio. The $60 million project will transform an existing structure into a catalyst for innovative clinical trials. Designed by BHDP Architecture, the 111,000-sf facility will advance the development, testing, and manufacture of new medicines and biological therapies.

Sanofi opened a 20,000-sf biomanufacturing center in May of 2024 in Toronto. Producing adult and pediatric vaccines for pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus, the project significantly increases capacity to meet growing demand in Canada and around the world. The next-generation facility features advanced bioprocessing suites supported by highly efficient infrastructure. Commissioning is currently under way, with full operations slated to commence in mid-2025.