Life Sciences

BOSTON — A partnership between Lendlease and Ivanhoe Cambridge has broken ground on a $500 million life sciences project within Boston Landing, a mixed-use destination in the Allston/Brighton area. The nine-story, 350,000-square-foot building at 60 Guest St. will be branded FORUM and will feature traditional office space in addition to lab and research/development space. SGA Architects is designing the project, and Consigli Construction Co. is serving as the general contractor. Completion is slated for 2024. The partnership first acquired the land for the project from NB Development Group, the master developer of Boston Landing, in March 2021.

PLAINVILLE, MASS. — Thermo Fisher Scientific, which researches and manufactures gene therapy treatments, has opened a 300,000-square-foot life sciences facility in Plainville, located near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border. Thermo Fisher will use the facility, which will contain lab, manufacturing and distribution space, for the production and testing of viral vectors, which are key components of gene therapy treatments. The project is expected to bring about 300 new jobs to the local economy. With the opening of the Plainville site, Thermo Fisher now operates 15 facilities and employs more than 3,500 people throughout Massachusetts.

WATERTOWN, MASS. — A partnership between two locally based firms, Davis Cos. and Boston Development Group, has topped out a 224,000-square-foot life sciences building located at 66 Galen St. in the western Boston suburb of Watertown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the project marks Phase I of a 450,000-square-foot campus that will comprise two buildings and multiple acres of open green space. The first building will house six tenant spaces, a fitness center, rooftop terrace, underground parking and ground-floor retail space. Completion is slated for 2023.