Research and Development

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.

When the National Institutes of Health was designing two new cleanroom research facilities, it faced familiar development challenges, including space constraints on an already-crowded campus, strict cleanroom guidelines, and the urgency to get scientists in the lab. The solution: prefabricated modular units. Executed well, the modular units shorten the design and construction schedule, provide better-quality spaces than stick-built laboratories or those employing modular panels that require on-site construction, and perform better for the scientific researchers who work in them.

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.

Caltech broke ground in May of 2022 on the $100 million Resnick Sustainability Center in Pasadena, Calif. Designed by the Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, the 79,500-sf building will house interdisciplinary laboratories that will be accessible to investigators and innovators from across the Caltech community. The collaborative three-story structure will initially accommodate four research hubs:

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.

Central Washington University opened the $60 million Health Sciences Building in Ellensburg in April of 2022. Designed by LMN Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 80,748-gsf facility provides sophisticated learning environments for programs in public health, emergency medicine, biomechanics, clinical physiology, exercise science, and nutrition.

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.

The U.S. Department of Energy began construction in April of 2022 on the $75 million Grid Storage Launchpad at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture with Arup as engineering consultant, the 86,000-sf structure will provide 35 labs for the development of advanced energy storage technologies.

North Carolina State University dedicated the $160.2 million Plant Sciences Building in Raleigh in April of 2022. Designed by Flad Architects, the 185,000-sf facility enables academic, government, and industry researchers to develop innovative solutions for global agricultural challenges.

Michigan Technological University will begin construction in May of 2022 on the H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex in Houghton. Designed by HED, the $45 million project will accommodate integrated educational programs in health-related fields and accelerate the creation of human-centered technological innovations.

Elanco Animal Health broke ground in April of 2022 on its global headquarters campus in Greenfield, Ind. Designed by RATIO Architects and CSO to serve as the foundation of a planned animal health epicenter, the $100 million complex will support collaborative R&D with business incubator High Alpha and AgriNovus, the state of Indiana’s food and agriculture initiative.

Lehigh University opened the $145 million Health, Science and Technology Building in spring of 2022 in Bethlehem, Pa. Designed by HGA to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the 200,000-gsf facility features flexible open laboratories for research programs in biohealth, energy, and materials science. Interior glass walls enhance visibility and connectivity in the five-story structure, which includes multipurpose instructional venues, the Health Data Warehouse, and the administrative home of the College of Health.

George Mason University broke ground in April of 2022 on Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, Va. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the $243 million facility will accommodate the Institute for Digital Innovation and graduate programs for the School of Computing. Seamlessly integrating academic, research, and commercial endeavors, the 345,000-sf building will drive collaboration among students, faculty, industry, and government partners to discover new solutions for the world’s grand challenges.