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Maugel Architects designed Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals’ 30,000-square-foot research and development facility at 35 Parkwood Drive in Hopkinton which includes multiple laboratories and office workspaces. Image courtesy of Maguel Architects
It is no secret that the market for lab space in Boston, Cambridge and arguably in the mid-suburbs is hotter than Cape Cod beach sand in August. As a result, life sciences entrepreneurs looking to find space in the region are being shut out.
At the same time, there is a critical need for these young, innovative companies to have a presence in one of the most successful life sciences clusters in the world. One way smaller businesses can swim in the big pond is with the help of life sciences incubators, a new lab-share model that is helping young companies flourish, by minimizing start-up costs and jumpstarting their research and development.
Think of incubators as the “WeWork of the life sciences industry.” They provide a turnkey lab environment that can range from a single lab bench to a large, private lab that accommodates 100 people. Aside from the millions of dollars of high-end lab equipment, life sciences incubators offer shared amenities that save on operation costs such as reception, kitchen, breakrooms, conference rooms, collaboration spaces, IT staff, data center, security, hazardous waste management, janitorial services, facilities management, glassware and autoclaves. Incubators can also provide safe equipment training along with funding and permitting assistance. In a nutshell, life sciences incubators allow start-ups to streamline operations and so they can focus on the science.
Take a Neighborhood Approach
When designing a lab-share environment, proper programming and space planning is essential.
We view the space as a mix of public and private neighborhoods of a small city— that when properly distributed, create a collaborative environment for businesses to thrive.
Energetic public spaces, such as reception areas, kitchen/cafe, break rooms and bathrooms are located closer to the main entrance, where noise tolerance is higher.
Semi-private areas such as workspaces, conference rooms, flex rooms and breakout spaces are distributed throughout the facility to encourage collaboration.
Private laboratories and offices, which require high levels of individual concentration, are designed with sound absorption and sound masking systems. They are located toward the rear of the facility, where the traffic flow is less of a distraction.
Design for Flexible Growth
Designing for flexibility and future expandability is critical.
One of the main challenges for the incubator model is the frequent turnover and changing space requirements that occur within these facilities. According to the National Venture Capital Association, approximately one in five biotech firms achieve liquidity after five years.
At the same time, there are tens of billions of dollars of venture capital flowing into the biotech market annually. This results in an incredible movement of companies in and out of incubator spaces. Either an incubator tenant company comes in for a few years, fails and then leaves the building, or the incubator tenant succeeds and requires a larger space.
This need for flexibility is paramount when planning, designing and constructing an incubator space.
Minimize Infrastructure Costs
Jeremy Baldwin
Designing for flexible growth mitigates upfront costs, as compared to a full build-out installation.
Laboratory infrastructure installation cost (MEP/FP) can run anywhere from the $100 to $200 per square foot range, depending on size, complexity and location. Infrastructure costs can be as high as 40 percent to 50 percent of total construction cost. The reduction in capital investment provided by an incubator can make initial construction costs more palatable. This applies to all major infrastructure systems, including but not limited to mechanical, electrical, plumbing and/or process equipment and systems.
One area of potential cost savings is designing base–chilled and/or hot water systems to serve the HVAC system. Some HVAC equipment can be installed initially, while allowing space and interfaces for future equipment and expandability. Providing the flexibility for a company to grow within their existing space or to add more capacity easily will pay dividends for developers and tenants. By predicting growth, you can provide larger steel members that will carry future loads along with space allocation for large pieces of equipment. A growth plan allows architects and engineers to flush out all code implications that could be impacted.
Strategic Placement of Services
Within laboratory spaces, repetition and standardization is critical.
Matt Meril
As laboratory equipment moves in, out and around these spaces, it is important to keep services stationary. At a recent 35,000-square-foot R&D space, we strategically located the ceiling panels to provide power, telephone/data connections, laboratory gas and other needs. When it comes time to reconfigure the space, the layout can be easily changed with minimal disruption to services. We’ve also used moveable laboratory furniture with built-in infrastructure to facilitate reconfiguring equipment and researchers.
From the outside looking in, this model may sound disruptive to tenants, but businesses are quickly evolving. Individuals along with corporations are more open to collaboration and sharing information than ever before. There is some additional disruption with sharing spaces, but in the end, the collaborative environment, along with the ability to quickly begin and grow a company, far outweigh the negatives.
When these spaces are properly designed, these facilities will thrive. Let’s face it: life sciences need to evolve because of rising costs and the rapid speed of the industry. What better way to adapt with this great working model that is already playing out across Massachusetts?
Jeremy Baldwin is an architect for Harvard-based Maugel Architects Inc. and Matthew Merli is science and technology market leader and an associate principal for Fitzemeyer & Tocci Assoc. of Woburn.
