Repositioning Buildings into Life Science Facilities

Patrick Cunningham, Senior Project Manager,Gardiner & Theobald Inc

For some time now, life science laboratories have been a significant part of the landscape of areas such as Boston, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area where clusters have grown and developed with the local talent pools which became home to some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the industry.

In recent years, Gardiner & Theobald has seen life science projects grow extensively in urban areas such as New York City, Chicago, Denver, and Raleigh.This growth has been driven in part by city and state incentives and the National Institute of Health (NIH), which will provide funding across the country in excess of $35B this year (2022).

With this comes the challenge of providing suitable laboratory space for companies to grow. In major cities such as NYC, we repeatedly find that the timeline and cost of ground-up construction are driving the trend of repositioning office/warehousing occupancies into Life Science facilities, allowing tenants to occupy a laboratory space as soon as 10 months vs. the standard 3 to 10 years for ground-up construction. 

However, repositioning buildings for Life Science facilities doesn’t come without its challenges!

Vibration

When we speak to clients, they repeatedly emphasize how excessive vibration can distort specimens being analyzed under microscopes and impact their research. While undertaking ground-up construction, these factors can typically be designed for; however, in the case of repositioning, the limitations of the existing structure’s live load capacity and roadway, along with additional noise sources, can add greatly to the design and operational challenges.

Early structural, vibration, and acoustical investigations of the building are essential to the identification of potential impact on design or operation.

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Life Science Requirements

The most significant difference between office/warehousing occupancies and life sciences is typically the additional MEP infrastructure required to support the laboratories. MEP requirements for laboratories may vary greatly depending on the operations being supported but it is typically estimated the MEP requirements of a life science occupancy is 3 to 5 times more than what is required for office occupancies. Considerations should also be made to ensure that the MEP infrastructure can support specialized laboratory operations that may be required including 100% outside air systems, centralized vacuum systems, centralized deionized water systems, and lab waste neutralization systems.

Workflow and Logistics

We have seen firsthand how crucial early planning for workflow and logistics is to a successful laboratory operation.

“Repositioning of office or warehouse occupancy for life science may impact ideal or desired workflows and logistics, making early investigation and planning essential to life science facilities, which may have several sensitive elements such as vivariums, where dedicated access may be required”

Repositioning of office/warehouse occupancy for life science may impact ideal or desired workflows and logistics, making early investigation and planning essential to life science facilities, which may have several sensitive elements such as vivariums, where dedicated access may be required.

Building Envelope

Life sciences operate under stringent, and in many cases, regulated temperature and humidity criteria which are dependent greatly on the building envelope condition to achieve. We work with our clients in the early planning stages to undertake detailed building envelope assessments to immediately identify any issues that may need to be addressed in the design of the project.

The factors listed above are just some of the key items on which we work with specialized consultants to allow our clients to determine whether a building should be considered suitable to be repositioned for life science occupancy