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must make up for being outside of a major hub.
Encourage collaboration. With all these top minds gathered
in one space, biotech companies want to make sure their
employees are talking, collaborating and innovating to-
gether whenever possible. To support that goal, more bio-
tech offices than ever are moving to open seating, more
meeting rooms, fewer private offices and more interstitial
spaces with comfortable seating, monitors and power out-
lets to encourage interaction. “Socializing may be ham-
pered because you cannot have a cup of coffee or eat in the
lab … but collaboration is still top of mind,” says Bill Holt of
TK&A Architects in Boston.
Adapt to technology. “We’re finding that research is more
and more automated. Very few people spend a half or
whole day in the lab, which is different than 10 years ago.
Now there’s more space for equipment, not people, in the
labs,” says Brian Horman of Just Biotherapeutics. Thanks to
digital advances like 3-D modeling software, robotics and
data transfer through the internet from lab to laptop, lab
space is not as populated as it once was. Scientists set up
the process they need a machine to complete, and then
step away from the lab to work on other projects, as re-
sults automatically send when the work is done. Finding
space to analyze data is becoming more important than
lab bench space. As a result, lab spaces are often shared,
with fewer assigned areas. Each piece of equipment has a
space and likely has a shared computer attached to it for
setting up processes and collecting data.
Allow room to focus. Like many industries that struggle to
find the right balance of open plan areas to focus spaces,
biotech’s need is even more acute to create areas for si-
lent, concentrative work. Many PhDs and others involved
in research analyze data or prepare papers and need long
stretches of time in silence.
Workplace Solutions and Strategies
To help biotech companies create a workspace that bal-
ances pressures like real estate costs, recruitment and pro-
ducing innovative medicines, we suggest the following
solutions and strategies, which can be explored in the full
white paper on
1. Encourage knowledge sharing.
2. Provide choice in workspace.
3. Use space efficiently.
4. Design for maximum flexibility.
5. Offer workplace amenities.
Future Outlook
The ebb and flow of research for new medicines, influ-
enced by regulatory changes, continued talent wars and
further globalization of R&D, all make the future of bio-
tech difficult to predict. It is, by its nature, always trans-
forming as new technologies and ideas emerge. The only
thing that is certain is change. \\
Also cited:
Moving Forward
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