Although the life sciences industry was headed for growth before the pandemic kicked off, the sector is currently experiencing a boom, fueled by the race to find a vaccine. As COVID-19 is changing all aspects of commercial development, one of the emerging trends represents the conversion of more traditional commercial office buildings to those that support labs and research.

Multinational architecture firm NBBJ strives to create a new workplace experience in these repurposed facilities. The company—known for designing Amazon’s HQ1 and HQ2 and hospitals for health-care systems such as Mass General—oversaw the redevelopment of an industrial asset on Cambridge’s Unity Campus into an innovative office space, known as The Works. NBBJ is currently working on the new home for the Departments of Experimental Psychology and Biology, a new research building known as the biggest project in Oxford University’s history.

Principal Jonathan Wall, based in San Francisco, and Mark Bryan, a leader within NBBJ’s science lab practice based in London, discuss how COVID-19 prompts developers to reimagine office buildings into lab and science space, a trend supporting the preservation and further expansion of the niche sector.

Tell us about the process of repositioning commercial buildings into labs and research assets. Was this generated by the current health crisis?

Wall: The current crisis demonstrates the importance of real estate that can adapt to a wide range of uses. This flexibility ensures a proper return on investment and the ability to attract new tenant types. At the same time, we see increased investment in the science sector, especially related to COVID-19 vaccinations and treatment.

With the uncertainty that the pandemic has cast upon some development projects—including those that attract industries that are especially vulnerable such as in-person retail—developers are exploring more flexible sites and buildings to accommodate the burgeoning life sciences and lab sector and tech companies. This is a relatively new endeavor as most buildings are designed to accommodate one of these tenant types, but not both.

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