Biomedical

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the fourth quarter of 2021. Key points include:

Eli Lilly & Company is investing approximately $700 million to create the Institute for Genetic Medicine in Boston. Located in the Seaport district, the leased facility will provide 334,000 rsf of leading-edge research space for the discovery of innovative RNA and DNA-based therapies. The project will also include a shared R&D center with dedicated and configurable lab environments to enable biotech start-ups to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

Build the first 14 floors now, then add a 16-story tower a decade or so into the future. That was Northwestern University’s unconventional approach to the construction of the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center on the Chicago campus of its Feinberg School of Medicine. It wasn’t the only out-of-the-box decision that enabled the university to move forward with its vision of creating a 1.2 million-sf, next-generation research hub about 10 miles south of its main campus in Evanston. Similarly inventive is the ownership arrangement of the first half, which became the largest academic biomedical research building in the U.S. when it opened in 2019. One of the medical school’s three major hospital affiliates, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, owns four of the nine lab floors (amounting to roughly 160,000 sf) and has easements to four-ninths of all the common space in the 625,000-sf structure.

Piramal Pharma Solutions broke ground in February of 2022 on a £45 million antibody drug conjugate (ADC) facility in Grangemouth, Scotland. Accommodating both manufacturing and aseptic fill/finish operations, the structure will provide additional capacity for the creation of targeted cancer treatments and other innovative therapies. Representing an expansion of Piramal's existing ADC campus, the project is being delivered by Merit using its FlexiPOD V4.0 platform.

The University of California, Davis broke ground in February of 2022 on Aggie Square in Sacramento. Designed by ZGF Architects, the first phase of the mixed-use district is being developed in partnership with Wexford Science + Technology and GMH Capital Partners, who will finance, construct, and own the facilities. At the heart of Aggie Square, a vibrant central plaza will offer a variety of settings for informal interaction, mobile work, and outdoor gatherings.

Vibalogics completed construction in December of 2021 on a $150 million virotherapy facility in Boxborough, Mass. Sited on 145 acres, the next-generation manufacturing plant supports commercial production of oncolytic viruses, viral vector vaccines, and viral vector gene therapy products. The highly flexible structure incorporates 2,000-liter bioreactors, multiple cGMP production suites, offices, warehouse space, and labs for research, development, and quality control.

The University of Glasgow opened the £118 million Advanced Research Centre in January of 2022 in the United Kingdom. Designed by HOK, the 172,000-sf facility accommodates leading-edge research programs at the intersection of engineering, life sciences, chemistry, physics, social sciences, and the arts.

Exact Sciences Corporation will begin construction in spring of 2022 on the Research and Development Center of Excellence in Madison, Wis. Designed by Potter Lawson, the 266,000-sf facility will catalyze further innovations in multi-cancer early detection and enhance the company's flagship product, Cologuard. Completion is expected in 2024. 

Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners are planning to construct a 353,000-sf life sciences facility in Somerville, Mass. Offering 346,000 sf of leading-edge lab space for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants, the 11-story structure will include 7,000 sf of retail space and below-grade parking for 242 cars.

Imperial College London opened the £70 million Sir Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub in London in December of 2021. Designed by Allies and Morrison, the 13-story, 215,000-sf building provides flexible laboratories, a 160-seat auditorium, and a variety of social spaces to foster interaction and informal knowledge exchange.

Phase 3 Real Estate Partners and Bain Capital are constructing the Genesis Marina life sciences campus in Brisbane, Calif. Providing over 570,000 rsf of Class A laboratory and office space, the three-building complex will offer floor plates of up to 42,000 sf serviced by robust MEP infrastructure.

Pfizer opened a $68.5 million clinical manufacturing facility in December of 2021 in Durham. Accommodating the company's BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences division, the 85,500-sf project will support the creation of gene therapies for the treatment of hemophilia A, hemophilia B, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and other diseases. Leveraging single-use bioreactors to enable scalable expansion over time, the structure provides multiple drug substance suites, analytical and microbiology labs, and areas for manufacturing and filling. 

Washington University School of Medicine will break ground in spring of 2022 on a $150 million vertical expansion of the Steven & Susan Lipstein BJC Institute of Health in St. Louis. Designed by Lawrence Group to promote collaboration and discovery, the six-story, 160,000-sf addition will provide 103,000 sf of biomedical research space and a 7,900-sf BSL-3 laboratory for the study of infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 and tuberculosis.

Texas Biomedical Research Institute broke ground in December of 2021 on a $15 million nonhuman primate complex in San Antonio. Part of the Southwest National Primate Research Center, the four-building expansion will feature three large structures offering indoor and outdoor housing environments. An 18,000-sf animal care facility will provide a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic, pathology labs, and a staff meeting hub.

Genentech has agreed to a whole-building lease for a 229,000-sf life sciences facility at Gateway Commons in South San Francisco. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Boston Properties, 751 Gateway will provide leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Featuring best-in-class amenities, the collaborative structure represents the first phase of a vibrant biomedical campus. Construction is ongoing with initial occupancy expected in early 2024.