Biotechnology

Vibalogics is creating a 110,000-sf facility for the production of oncolytic viruses, viral vector vaccines, and viral vector gene therapy products in Boxborough, Mass. Supporting late-phase clinical and commercial manufacturing operations, the highly flexible structure will include 2,000-liter bioreactors, multiple cGMP production suites, offices, warehouse space, and labs for research, development, and quality control. The $150 million project involves the renovation of an existing R&D building previously occupied by Cisco Systems.

Boylston Properties and J.P. Morgan Asset Management began construction in January of 2021 on a 165,600-sf life sciences facility in Watertown, Mass. Located in the Arsenal Yards district, 100 Forge will be the first purpose-built laboratory building in the city. The joint venture development team has secured a $100.1 million construction loan for the project.

Civica Rx began construction in early 2021 on a $124.5 million pharmaceutical manufacturing center in Petersburg, Va. Created in collaboration with Phlow Corp., the 120,000-sf plant will produce sterile injectables for the treatment of COVID-19, emergency room and intensive-care unit treatments, surgeries, and other serious conditions. The facility will feature steam sterilization capabilities, disposable technologies, and advanced automation systems for visual inspection and packaging.

BioMed Realty is planning to create a life sciences innovation campus in Somerville, Mass. The project includes the renovation of an existing 162,000-sf office building and the construction of new facilities on an adjacent 7.5-acre parcel. Offering leasable environments for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and technology companies, the Assembly Square complex will provide 1.3 million sf of research, corporate, and retail space. The mixed-use development will feature multiple roof terraces and a one-acre public park. BioMed Realty acquired the property in early 2021.

Canadian developer Oxford Properties has expanded its real estate portfolio in the United States with the acquisition of four new assets. Representing an investment of $276 million in the burgeoning life sciences industry, the purchase included a total of 415,000 sf of existing space and associated developable land. Oxford Properties plans to spend an additional $500 million to repurpose, renovate, and expand the four structures to create leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical tenants. 

Silverstein Properties & Cantor Fitzgerald are partnering with University Place Associates to create a biomedical innovation center in Philadelphia. Providing leading-edge lab and office facilities, 3.0 University Place is pre-certified as LEED Platinum v4 BD+C for core and shell, and will also target WELL Core v2 Platinum certification.

BioMed Realty is creating a 482,000-sf life sciences hub in Boston's Seaport District. Previously serving as the corporate headquarters of John Hancock, the building was acquired by BioMed Realty in late 2020. Featuring robust mechanical and electrical systems, the existing structure has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and includes a variety of collaborative meeting areas. The facility will be renovated to provide sophisticated lab and office environments for biomedical companies. Occupancy is expected in the second half of 2022. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific is expanding its global production capacity for vaccines, medicines, and biologic therapies. Construction will begin in mid-2021 on a 130,000-sf facility in Greenville, N.C. Slated for completion in 2022, the standalone structure will accommodate two live-virus filling lines. The project is part of a $500 million investment in the site that will add six new lines in existing buildings to support commercial-scale liquid vial filling and the creation of lyophilized materials. 

Millennium Partners and Beacon Capital Partners will begin construction in late 2021 on a 380,000-sf life sciences facility in Boston. Designed by Handel Architects in collaboration with STUDIO ENÉE, the mixed-use development will provide leading-edge laboratories, offices, and R&D suites clustered around a collaborative open space. Located on 4.6 acres in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, the eight-story project will feature a central core of corrugated metal to celebrate the area's industrial heritage.

Nationwide Children's Hospital is constructing a $100 million gene therapy manufacturing center in Columbus, Ohio. The 185,000-sf facility will enable Andelyn Biosciences, a for-profit subsidiary of Nationwide Children's, to supply pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with genetic material for use in research and clinical trials. Located in The Ohio State University's Innovation District, the leased structure will feature advanced cGMP environments for commercial-scale manufacturing.

The life sciences industry has become the great hope in real estate, as we face the most significant public health crisis in a century. While other industries have slowed and suffered as a result of sheltering in place and working from home, science facilities have remained operational and even have thrived in prime markets, as the industry continues to search for medical breakthroughs. The downturn in other industries has left buildings vacant. The life science market, on the other hand, continues to experience some of the lowest vacancy and highest employment rates. For life science organizations in the prime U.S. markets, there simply remains a shortage of available research-capable space. Enter the big pivot to science.

The University of Oregon dedicated the first phase of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact in December of 2020 in Eugene. Designed by Ennead Architects and Bora Architects to encourage interaction and collaboration, the $225 million, 160,000-sf building offers leading-edge biomedical laboratories, core facilities, classrooms, and an innovation center.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities has attained the world's first WELL Health-Safety Rating for laboratory space at Alexandria LaunchLabs in New York City. Augmenting the center’s existing WELL certification for building design, the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facilities Operations and Management includes further measures to protect the health of tenants, employees, visitors, and service personnel. Protocols at Alexandria LaunchLabs include:

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) began construction in October of 2020 on the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Inchinnan in the United Kingdom. Created in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, GSK, and AstraZeneca, the £42 million facility will enable the development of new pharmaceutical production methods that will be proven at scale in a GMP environment.

Lincoln Property Company is creating a mixed-use campus in Lexington, Mass. Designed by DiMella Shaffer, the development will include a laboratory building providing 95,000 sf of Class A research space linked by a central promenade to a 125,000-sf office facility. Strategically sited in the burgeoning life sciences district along the Route 128 corridor, the complex will include a community hub with a café to encourage interaction and collaboration between tenants, as well as a 502-space parking garage.