Biomedical

Roche announced the launch of the Roche Genentech Innovation Center in March of 2025 on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. With an initial lease of 30,000 sf of lab space in the first phase of construction, Roche intends to expand their R&D presence to eventually accommodate 500 employees. The initiative will bring together cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism experts with data science and AI specialists to accelerate innovation in drug discovery and development.

The 2024 SEFA Lab of the Year was awarded to the new Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) Center in Basel, Switzerland, that opened in September 2024 as a state-of-the-art research center dedicated to the discovery and development of groundbreaking drugs. The pRED Center exemplifies the future of transformative research by fostering innovation and collaboration, and embodying Roche’s commitment to advancing global healthcare and delivering life-changing treatments. 

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is planning to create a vibrant destination for education, research, and innovation in Kips Bay that is supported by $1.6 billion in state and city funding. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the master planner for the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC), a first-of-its-kind learning and training center that will offer up to two million sf of academic, public health, and life science space.

An evolution of the equipment and technology researchers need is transforming ordinary labs into facilities that deserve to be called next-generation or future-ready. Significant changes in space utilization and lab planning and design are driven by increased automation and robotics, the incorporation of manufacturing, enhanced information technology with an emphasis on data collection, ever-evolving technologies, developer core/shell fit-outs, hybrid work patterns, and different approaches to project delivery and construction. 

Moderna completed construction on a £150 million complex in the United Kingdom for the discovery and production of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 and emerging respiratory health threats. Located on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) comprises two 145,000-sf buildings for research, development, and manufacturing.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore opened a 250,000-sf innovation center in January of 2024 to drive biomedical advances and accelerate the discovery of new health solutions. Developed and operated by Wexford Science + Technology, 4MLK serves as the gateway to the UM BioPark and will offer leasable space for life science and technology companies.

The past few decades have brought myriad technological changes to our daily lives, and experts predict the pace of change will only increase—especially in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Much of the talk surrounding AI focuses on automating repetitive processes and analyzing data, which require additional computational power but not necessarily structural modifications. But emerging technologies, including AI and robotics, may require universities and companies to rethink their approach to designing and planning buildings and labs.

Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), home to North America’s largest baboon population dedicated to research, has opened a new primate research facility focused on animal welfare, human safety, and operational efficiency as guiding principles. The new Animal Care Complex (ACC) includes three modular breeding and holding facilities, each with a capacity of up to 300 animals of multiple species. The spacious facility has five indoor rooms which range from 400 to 800 sf, and outdoor yards as big as 5,500 sf. 

Healthpeak Properties recently opened a world-class amenities center called The Hangar on the Vantage life science campus in South San Francisco. Flad Architects' vision for the 40,000-sf facility has created a dynamic hub for interaction and relaxation, complete with a full-service rooftop bar, a food hall, a fitness center, and more. A dramatic design inspired by airplane hangars honors the area's industrial past and its role as the birthplace of biotechnology.

Werfen opened a $50 million research and development facility in December of 2024 in Bedford, Mass. Designed by Maugel DeStefano Architects, the 169,500-sf building provides a dynamic new home for the company's Hemostasis and Acute Care Diagnostics Technology Center. The structure's first two floors offer a total of 27,500 sf of lab space and 91,000 sf of office space, perched over a 51,000-sf parking area for 160 vehicles.

Werfen opened a $50 million research and development facility in December of 2024 in Bedford, Mass. Designed by Maugel DeStefano Architects, the 169,500-sf building provides a dynamic new home for the company's Hemostasis and Acute Care Diagnostics Technology Center. The structure's first two floors offer a total of 27,500 sf of lab space and 91,000 sf of office space, perched over a 51,000-sf parking area for 160 vehicles.

Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners opened a 370,000-rsf life sciences building at Boynton Yards in Somerville in November of 2024. Strategically sited less than a mile from Kendall Square, 808 Windsor was designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge as a catalyst for biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation. JLL Capital Markets arranged $246 million in construction financing for the project with capital partner Deutsche Finance America.

Case Western Reserve University celebrated the official groundbreaking of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) in October of 2024 in Cleveland. Designed by HGA in partnership with local firm DVA Architecture, the 189,000-sf facility will collocate more than 60 principal investigators from the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The $300 million structure will offer both wet and dry labs, a shared core lab, and advanced technology platforms.

The vision of biomedical research as a collective effort is resoundingly clear in the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center, the first building to be completed in the 350-plus-acre Carmenton district on the campus of The Ohio State University (Ohio State) in Columbus. Opened in May 2023, the center integrates almost 100,000 sf of wet labs, 25,000 sf of computational labs, and 20,000 sf of core labs in a single facility designed to host interdisciplinary collaborations and public-private initiatives that focus on solving some of the most critical health challenges. With life science as the backbone of the research endeavor, current projects range from modeling cancer progressions to 3D printing of patient-specific anatomic models. 

Kadans Science Partner is constructing a 139,000-sf facility in Cambridge in the United Kingdom that will catalyze the discovery of new therapies, medical devices, and digital healthcare solutions. Providing fully fitted, best-in-class research environments, Merlin Place will offer CL2 wet labs, dry labs, and dedicated office spaces. A flexible structural grid with adaptable floor heights will support a range of configurations in the building, which will utilize a modular layout to accommodate multiple tenants or a single entity.