Biomedical

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the third quarter of 2022. Key points include:

Thor Equities opened a 350,000-sf research facility in Jersey City in October of 2022. Designed by SGA, the adaptive reuse project transformed a former toothpaste factory into a vibrant R&D center offering leasable lab and office environments. Featuring a selection of suites with infrastructure, casework, and equipment already installed, the eight-story structure integrates flexible floor plates, multiple utility grids, an onsite life safety generator, and 125 underground parking spaces.

The booming life sciences industry, whose investment in corporate research and development spending more than doubled during the last decade to $212 billion in 2020, is giving birth to millions of square feet of new research laboratory space in the U.S.—29 million sf in 2019, up from 17 million sf in 2009. Much of that recent growth is in gene and cell therapy R&D.

King Street Properties broke ground in October of 2022 on the $915 million Allston LabWorks complex in Boston. Designed by DiMella Shaffer, the vibrant life sciences campus will provide 534,000 sf of leading-edge lab and office space across two research buildings. Standing six and eight stories high, the highly efficient structures will feature generous floor-to-floor heights to accommodate sophisticated instrumentation.

Indiana University broke ground in October of 2022 on the $230 million Medical Education Building in Indianapolis. Designed by Perkins&Will and Browning Day, the 326,000-gsf complex will provide the School of Medicine with state-of-the-art environments for teaching and research. Featuring a spacious atrium, the first three floors of the 11-story building will house classrooms, lecture halls, and a café. Specialized rooms for learning communities will encourage small groups to interact and collaborate.

Amgen opened a 245,000-sf R&D center in South San Francisco in October of 2022. Located on the Gateway of Pacific life sciences campus in Oyster Point, the leased facility was designed by Flad Architects and developed by BioMed Realty. Featuring modular wet and molecular labs, the nine-story tower accommodates Amgen's research programs in oncology, inflammation, and cardiometabolic diseases. Flexible floor plates integrate lab and office functions, with open work spaces and movable furnishings promoting collaboration and interaction.

The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, a nonprofit research organization affiliated with MIT and Harvard University, is expanding its presence in Cambridge with the long-term lease of a 225,000-sf facility. Developer Boston Properties is transforming an existing six-story building at 300 Binney Street into a state-of-the-art biomedical hub where interdisciplinary teams will engage in collaborative research and discovery.

Claremont McKenna College broke ground in October of 2022 on the Robert Day Sciences Center in Claremont, Calif. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the 135,000-sf facility will provide the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences with classrooms, collaboration spaces, teaching and research labs, and faculty offices. The open, light-filled structure will embody the convergence of computational, life, and social sciences by supporting a progressive pedagogy focused on three key areas: Gene, Brain, and Planet.

Johnson & Johnson opened its San Francisco Bay Campus in September of 2022 in Brisbane, Calif. Accommodating up to 400 employees, the 200,000-sf facility bridges key scientific and technological capabilities by collocating the biomedical research activities of subsidiary firm Janssen Pharmaceuticals with J&J's innovation and technology divisions. The collaborative R&D hub houses leading-edge laboratories, flexible office environments, and space for joint development with industry partners.

CSL completed construction in September of 2022 on its $150 million R&D campus in Marburg, Germany. Located in the Görzhausen Industrial Park, the 430,000-sf facility offers sophisticated environments for the creation of next-generation mRNA vaccines, recombinant technologies, and cell and gene therapies. Accommodating up to 500 employees, the multidisciplinary complex represents CSL’s largest global research hub with 75,000 sf of lab space and 75,000 sf of office space.

Sartorius is constructing the $60 million Center of Excellence for BioAnalytics in Ann Arbor, Mich. Designed by Hobbs+Black Architects, the 130,000-sf building will include a process development lab to accelerate the creation of advanced medical therapies. Providing next-generation facilities for biopharmaceutical research, development, production, and testing, the project will enable the company to consolidate business operations currently dispersed throughout Washtenaw County and beyond.

Thermo Fisher Scientific opened a 300,000-sf viral vector center in August of 2022 in Plainville, Mass. Accelerating the creation of advanced cell and gene therapies, the cGMP-compliant facility offers flexible laboratories and production suites for the development, testing, and manufacture of viral vectors. Featuring Thermo Fisher’s advanced bioprocessing technologies and analytical instrumentation, the sustainably designed structure also includes sophisticated office environments and adjacent warehouse spaces.

Pfizer is expanding its Chesterfield campus with the construction of a $60 million addition to support vaccine research and development. Providing leading-edge labs, offices, and support spaces, the three-story, 37,000-sf project will adjoin an existing 261,000-sf facility that opened in 2019. A two-story bridge with a covered plaza will link the completed structure to the rest of the 31-acre site. 

Breakthrough Properties began construction in August of 2022 on the One Canal life sciences center in Cambridge, Mass. Designed to accommodate either a single tenant or multiple companies, the project involves the renovation of an existing structure to provide 105,000 sf of best-in-class biomedical research space. Occupants will enjoy private outdoor meeting venues, integrated retail amenities, and a fitness center.

Longfellow Real Estate Partners broke ground in August of 2022 on a 323,000-sf life sciences center in San Diego. Designed by HOK, the six-story Bioterra development will provide leading-edge laboratories, offices, and collaboration spaces for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. Occupants will enjoy a lush rooftop patio offering inspiring views, with specially curated food and beverage options on the lower levels open to the public.