Research Labs Spring Up Across U.S.

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $40 billion of research laboratories presently under construction in the U.S., with a heavy preponderance of projects in Massachusetts, Texas and California.

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Heavy-Hitting States for Lab Construction

According to Industrial Info Resources data, there more than $40 billion worth of research and development (R&D) laboratories under construction in the U.S. and another $34 billion of U.S. labs in the planning and engineering stages. For both current and future development, Massachusetts, Texas and California feature the highest number of lab projects.

Active U.S. Research Lab Construction

The Boston/Cambridge area of Massachusetts is a prime destination for U.S. pharmaceutical-biotech research labs, and one of the biggest U.S. lab developments underway kicked off in Cambridge in 2022. Takeda Pharmaceuticals is setting up a multidisciplinary research lab in a newly constructed 16-story building owned by BioMed Realty Trust Incorporated. Construction of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building is wrapping up, paving the way for Takeda to begin R&D across a range of areas, including oncology, hematology, neuroscience and gastroenterology. The 600,000-square-foot building also will feature 15,000 square feet of public space.

In Boston proper, general contractor Consigli Construction Company has been at work since 2023 removing two old buildings on Northern Avenue and constructing a 344,000-square-foot LEED Platinum-certified building that will house Vertex Pharmaceuticals' R&D lab for cell and genetic therapies. The building is actually the second to go up on the campus of Vertex's Jeffrey Leiden Center for Cell and Genetic Therapies. Consigli completed the first, smaller Leiden laboratory in 2022. The new $595 million laboratory building is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers to the Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

Laboratory construction is more scattered throughout California, although the vicinities around San Francisco and San Diego are notable for their activity. One of the biggest projects is underway in Foster City, on the western side of San Francisco Bay, about 20 miles from San Francisco proper. There, Gilead Sciences is adding two buildings to its R&D campus, focused on cardiovascular research and drug development. One five-story building is in the final stages of completion, which will be followed by the completion of a similarly sized 180,000-square-foot research building in 2027.

The largest laboratory projects underway in Texas primarily are in the university setting, with institutions such as the University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas State University underway with medical and scientific research facilities.

Future Laboratory Construction

While not all the $34 billion of planned U.S. research labs being tracked by Industrial Info Resources will make it to construction as planned, the Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry generally has a low fallout rate for projects, and once again, California and Massachusetts feature most heavily for the number of planned medical research labs.

Two planned research labs in South San Francisco and San Diego are expected to garner more than $1 billion each for construction, while another two in Boston also bring price tags in excess of $1 billion. Of these billion-dollar facilities, two potentially could break ground this year. Expected to kick off first is Novartis Pharmaceuticals' eight-story, 466,000-square-foot biomedical research building in San Diego, construction of which is expected to last for around three years. Not long after that in Boston, commercial real estate developers The Fallon Company, Owens Companies and The Waldwin Group are expected to break ground on two mixed use buildings that will house one or more life science tenants needing laboratory research and development space.

Industrial Info's coverage of the Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry comprises all aspects of the sector, from research and development to the manufacturing of products and devices, to warehousing and distribution facilities.

Key Takeaways

• Industrial Info Resources is tracking $11.4 billion worth of pharmaceutical-biotech research labs currently being constructed in the U.S.
• California, Texas and Massachusetts feature most heavily for current and future research lab development.
• $1 billion+ medical research labs could break ground this year in San Diego and Boston.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).