Boston, October 8, 2019 – In 2018 Greater Boston life science firms captured 27.7% of total venture capital and 8.7% of total NIH funding within the US (JLL Life Sciences Outlook 2018). Consistently ranked as the top life science cluster in the US, Boston’s burgeoning real estate market is experiencing a monumental shift outside the city to suburban communities. With the foundational elements of research talent, top academic institutions, investor networks and knowledgeable developers in place, Boston’s suburban science ecosystems continue to absorb overflow, particularly within the MetroWest landscape which experienced the highest lab absorption rate in Q2 of 2019 (Colliers Lab Viewpoint, 2019).
In an industry where the economic growth engines of science, technology and data converge to fuel clinical trials, how is laboratory design responding to the diverse needs of start-ups and established firms to support this momentum of innovation? These issues will be answered at the ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) workshop WE08 Converting Suburban Office Space Into Laboratory Facilities on Wednesday, November 6th at 8:30AM in the Boston Convention Center. The largest architecture, building and design exposition in the Northeast, ABX attracts over 8,000 attendees with 300 exhibitors and 100 workshops across 50 product categories. At this workshop architectural, financial and market development aspects will be explored, with an overall emphasis on facilitating modern design in existing buildings. Gary Kaufman, COO of the bio-incubator ABI-LAB will address where tenants are coming from, their unique needs and caveats to consider when building a bio-incubator. Kevin Brawley, VP of Colliers International, will review the expanding suburban market by cluster, migration and supply. From the project manager standpoint, Steve Lacerte of STV DPM alongside Alvaro Ribeiro, Design Director for PDA, Dacon’s architecture affiliate, will probe structural considerations, MEP systems, permitting and design issues. The panel is hosted and moderated by Chuck Reilly, VP Business Development of Dacon.
Contact: Gretchen Burgholzer, Marketing Manager, 978.886.3523