Biomedical

Funding for life sciences is booming, causing a space demand surge in already tight markets across North America. Companies that are ramping up production or spinning out of university labs often lease space in new or in-progress buildings but can have trouble finding the perfect fit. Commercial building inventory, both built and under construction, consists mainly of office space with systems that are incompatible with modern research missions. Outside of a few biotech-focused cities—Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle, for example—it’s hard to find a developer that understands lab space needs, so a life sciences company might hire an architect to work with developers on a redesign. Space considerations include zoning constraints, floor-to-floor heights, minimum floor plate, and electrical capacity.

The University of Pennsylvania and Longfellow Real Estate Partners are planning to construct a 455,000-sf life sciences center on the Pennovation Works property in Philadelphia. Designed by Jacobs, the project will include three structures providing a total of 387,000 sf of R&D space and 68,000 sf of biomanufacturing space for the production of cell and gene therapies.

Cleveland Clinic will begin construction in mid-2022 on the Neurological Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. Spanning over a million square feet, the translational research building will integrate inpatient and outpatient care facilities with world-class biomedical laboratories. Designed by Stantec and Hopkins Architects, the collaborative structure will foster interaction between medical professionals and scientists to accelerate the discovery of new therapies and attract the next generation of caregivers.

Growing demand for life sciences research space is driving an increase in office-to-lab conversion projects in the United States. According to a new report from CBRE, office-to-lab conversions in progress in the 12 largest U.S. life sciences markets at the end of 2021 amounted to 9.9 million sf, up 49 percent from the beginning of the year. In comparison, ground-up lab construction rose by 42 percent to nearly 18.8 million sf by the end of 2021.

DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Leggat McCall Properties opened a 289,000-sf life sciences facility in Somerville in May of 2022. Designed by SGA and Hashim Sarkis Studios, the nine-story structure provides Class-A lab and office environments supported by robust mechanical and electrical infrastructure. Offering flexible floorplates with column-free spans of 35,000 sf, the sustainable development is targeting LEED Gold and WiredScore Platinum certifications.

George Mason University broke ground in May of 2022 on the $84 million Life Sciences and Engineering Building in Manassas, Va. Located on the Science and Technology Campus in Prince William County, the 133,000-gsf facility will accommodate STEM-H programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health sciences.

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has announced the 2022 Facility of the Year Awards category winners. The awards include:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building in April of 2022. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $78 million project involves the renovation and expansion of the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building to accommodate leading-edge laboratories, computational suites, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and offices.

AbbVie opened a 480,000-sf biomedical research center in South San Francisco in April of 2022. Offering state-of-the-art laboratories and collaborative workspaces, the leased facility will accelerate the discovery and commercialization of new cancer therapeutics. As the anchor tenant for the Gateway of Pacific’s first phase of construction, AbbVie occupies 11 contiguous floors in the 12-story structure.

Mayo Clinic began construction in April of 2022 on the $134.6 million Integrated Education and Research Building in Phoenix. Designed CO Architects and DFDG Architecture, the 150,000-sf facility will house the College of Medicine and Science and its five schools: the Alix School of Medicine, the School of Graduate Medical Education, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Continuous Professional Development.

The University of Arkansas broke ground in April of 2022 on the Institute for Integrative & Innovative Research (I3R) in Fayetteville. Designed by HGA and Hufft, the $137.6 million facility will house five centers of excellence to drive discovery and commercialization in the overlapping fields of data science, food systems, materials science and engineering, integrative systems neuroscience, and metabolism bioscience and bioengineering.

EMD Serono completed construction in March of 2022 on the $70 million Horizon Building in Billerica, Mass. Designed by PM Group, the 149,000-sf structure provides collaborative research environments to accelerate the creation of specialty pharmaceuticals. The mixed-use R&D facility includes approximately 30,000 sf of flexible wet lab space featuring reconfigurable benches and overhead service panels with plug-and-play connectivity.

HYM Investment Group began construction in March of 2022 on a $280 million biomanufacturing hub in Revere, Mass. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the six-story life sciences facility will offer leasable research environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical companies. Complemented by retail and dining amenities, the structure will feature two double-height floors for GMP production and manufacturing activities.

Southern Research will begin construction in mid-2022 on an $84 million biotechnology center in Birmingham, Ala. Providing crucial biocontainment capacity for the study of infectious diseases, the 80,000-sf building will enhance pandemic preparedness efforts with BSL-3 laboratories spanning 7,500 sf. The five-level project will also include structural biology labs, high-throughput screening facilities, and a STEM education center.

Amgen broke ground in March of 2022 on a $550 million biomanufacturing center in Holly Springs, N.C. Accommodating the company's FleXBatch platform, the project will integrate traditional methods for drug substance production with single-use bioprocessing technologies to create a hybrid facility with unrivaled operational efficiencies. The next-generation plant will manufacture advanced therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, inflammation, and other conditions.