In the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, life sciences innovation districts have become hubs not only for research and development but also for cooperation and inspiration between cohorts. These districts, often called innovation districts, collect together companies, research institutions, supporting entities, housing and more. Innovation districts necessitate meticulous planning and design strategies to promote scientific inquiry and efficiency. “Municipalities, schools, corporations and organizations that have close ties to their state are piloting life sciences innovation district development, allowing them to group otherwise separated uses — work, recreation, living areas and more — together. When you pair these institutions and include innovative site and building programming in a single location, you move beyond disconnected projects and amenities to a united innovation district that can magnify benefits across organizations,” explains Dan Danvers, a landscape architect project manager with Bohler, a land development consulting and site design company. This article is the design-focused component of our two-part series on life sciences innovation districts. If you would like to read about the planning component of these complex developments, please read our first article here. Moving Life Sciences Innovation Districts Forward Innovation districts must keep pace with evolving technologies and research. Life sciences industries are continually progressing, …
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BURLINGTON, MASS. — Newmark has arranged a 47,578-square-foot office and life sciences lease in Burlington, a northwestern suburb of Boston. The tenant, metals processor Nth Cycle Inc., has committed to leasing space at Blue Sky Center, a 158-acre campus. Matt Malatesta, Tyler McGrail, Michael Frisoli and Margaret Fee of Newmark represented the owner, Nordblom Co., in the lease negotiations. Nick Amarante and Mekae Hyde of Hughes Marino represented the tenant. Amenities at Blue Sky Center include a fitness center, café, basketball court, gaming area and a golf simulator.
McCarthy, Mortenson Complete $940M Animal Disease Research Facility in Manhattan, Kansas
by Jeff Shaw
MANHATTAN, Kan. — McCarthy Mortenson NBAF, a joint venture between builders McCarthy Building Cos. and Mortenson Construction, has completed the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, approximately 55 miles west of Topeka and 115 miles west of Kansas City. Development costs for the animal disease research facility were estimated at $940 million. Developed to ensure public health and the safety and security of the nation’s food supply, the 707,000-square-foot facility is located on a 48-acre site. It is designed with stringent containment, blast-resistant and anti-terrorism requirements, as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) high-wind design criteria adopted by the Department of Homeland Security. NBAF features laboratories functioning at multiple biosafety levels, including the first facility in the United States with biosafety level 4 containment capable of housing large livestock. The lab portions total 574,000 square feet, while the freestanding, 87,000-square-foot Central Utility Plant houses boilers, chillers, emergency diesel generators and other support elements for the main laboratory facility. In addition to having multiple laboratories, NBAF will also have a biologics development module to explore the development and production of potential vaccines, diagnostic platforms and veterinary medical countermeasures. The property will functionally replace the aging Plum Island Animal …
Skanska Tops Out $83.6M George Mason University Academic Building in Northern Virginia
by John Nelson
MANASSAS, VA. — Skanska has topped out George Mason University’s new Life Sciences and Engineering Building at the school’s Prince William County Science and Technology (SciTech) Campus in Manassas. The $83.6 million, 132,000-square-foot building will support students enrolled in STEM-H majors, such as kinesiology, materials science, forensic science, bioengineering and mechanical engineering. (STEM-H is short for science, technology, engineering, math and health sciences.) The facility will comprise specialized instructional labs, classrooms, experiential learning laboratories and faculty and administrative offices. The property will also be part of the university’s Innovation Town Center, which will provide students at the SciTech Campus with a residential campus experience from their freshman year through their post-graduate work.
SAN DIEGO — DivcoWest has purchased a 72,506-square-foot, Class A life sciences building in the San Diego submarket of Torrey Pines. The fully leased building is located at 11119 N. Torrey Pines Road. This represents the first Torrey Pines acquisition by a private real estate investor since 2000. It is one of only three research properties in the market not owned by a public REIT, nonprofit or owner/user. The seller is an affiliate of Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Eastdil Secured marketed the property to a limited group of qualified buyers.
PHILADELPHIA — NexPoint, an investment firm based in metro Dallas, has acquired two life sciences buildings totaling 250,000 square feet in Philadelphia. The first building comprises research and development, manufacturing and warehouse space, and the second building features distribution packaging facilities with the potential for future expansion. NexPoint acquired the buildings, which sit on a combined 18 acres, in a sale-leaseback with Frontida Biopharm. The addresses were not disclosed.
TOWACO, N.J. — Pharmaceutical company Generichem Corp. has signed a 27,500-square-foot life sciences lease in the Northern New Jersey community of Towaco. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 425 Main Road was constructed on 2.7 acres in 1984. Marc Trevisan and Tom Mallaney of CBRE represented the tenant in the negotiations for the full-building lease. Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Schuster Bauman.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — New York City-based SJP Properties has unveiled plans for the second and third phases of the HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange, a $731 million life sciences development in New Brunswick, about 45 miles south of Manhattan. Developed in partnership with New Brunswick Development Corp., Phase II of the project will be known as H-2 and will feature 600,000 square feet of build-to-suit lab and office space that can accommodate a range of users. The final phase of HELIX, H-3, will include a 42-story mixed-use building that will have traditional office space and 220 units of housing in addition to life sciences space. The first phase of HELIX, known as H-1, is currently under construction adjacent to Rutgers University’s campus in the downtown area. Totaling 574,000 square feet, H-1 will house the New Jersey Innovation HUB, the new home of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a Rutgers translational research facility equipped with a variety of labs. The initial phase of the project will also have a 10,000-square-foot market hall with food options and a 3,000-square-foot restaurant that opens onto a 70-foot-wide plaza. The site of the four-acre innovation district is across the street from …
SAN DIMAS, CALIF. — San Dimas CA LLC has purchased a 79,036-square-foot R&D/flex facility in San Dimas. The facility is located at 960 Overland Court. The two-story property sits on 4.2 acres and is fully occupied by Collins Aerospace, a Charlotte, N.C.-based aerospace and defense product supplier and subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. The facility is a mission-critical location for Collins and houses the company’s research and development operations. Originally built in 1987, the property recently underwent significant landlord renovations and tenant improvements. It features a mix of open-plan offices and private offices, conference rooms, multiple kitchenettes, and 7,600 square feet of warehouse space with two dock-high positions and two truck wells. Mark Shaffer, Anthony DeLorenzo, Gerard Poutier, Bryan Johnson and Nick Williams with CBRE’s Investment Properties—California/Arizona/Nevada, along with Todd Tydlaska, Mike Longo, Melissa May Moock and Sean Sullivan with CBRE’s Institutional Capital Partners, represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
MEDFORD, MASS. — Boston-based developer RISE, in partnership with local owner the Matarazzo Family, will develop a $200 million life sciences project in Medford, a northern suburb of Boston. The eight-story building at 4054 Mystic Valley Parkway will house 311,535 square feet of lab, research and development and office space, as well as ground-floor retail space. In addition, the facility will have a below-ground parking garage, dedicated indoor bike storage and a landscaped public plaza. Dave Douvadjian Sr. and Harrison Zucco of Newmark arranged an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing for the project. CUBE3 is the project architect, and Jacobs is the civil engineer. A construction timeline was not released.