NYC Biotech: Mount Sinai West Side Life Sciences Hub Report No. 2
Introduction As NYC begins to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the life sciences sector has clearly emerged as the engine for NYC’s revitalization.
New York is a city that constantly reinvents itself. It draws on the talent, brainpower, needs, and investment capability of its diverse populace to renew and move forward. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the City partnered with academia and private industry to help build a local applied science/technology sector that continues to grow, generate jobs and drive our economy. This added to the existing financial, education, and entertainment and tourism sectors to create a more diverse and resilient landscape. Today, facing new challenges presented by health issues, density and climate change, it is clear that science, in particular life science, is the way forward. We need to understand today’s medical challenges and threats, develop solutions including vaccines and medicines, and innovate in the areas of biomedical advances, a new frontier in American life. Biotech, the application of the study of life sciences, is becoming a new engine for New York’s economy.
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Hudson River Park
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787 11th Avenue
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4 West Side Life Sciences Hub Mount Sinai Case Study Mitchell Giurgola and NK Architects are collaborating on the design of Mount Sinai Health System’s cutting-edge research and clinical center at 787 Eleventh Avenue. The Icahn School of Medicine, a leading research institute at Mount Sinai Health, will occupy three floors of the building, anchoring the site as a major life science hub in New York City.
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The 30-year, 165,000 square foot lease signed by Mount Sinai, is the largest life science space leased in 2020. The development and design of this new facility arrives at a critical moment in New York City. The demand and support for life sciences and biotech is at an all-time high and presents an opportunity for this sector and this facility to be a driving force in the revitalization of the economy of New York.
Adaptive Reuse of an Art Deco Building
Mount Sinai West Side Life Sciences Hub 787 Eleventh Avenue was originally built in the late 1920’s for the Packard Motor Company by architect Albert Kahn. Mount Sinai’s expansion to this newly developed building, puts them in close proximity to Mount Sinai West and in the midst of the rapidly expanding life sciences corridor on the far West Side of Manhattan. The new facility spans three floors and will accommodate a wide range of state-of-the-art biomedical research and includes a vivarium, genomics and proteomics core facilities, and associated infrastructure.
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Historic Photo
Flexible Laboratory Planning for Biomedical Research The design for Mount Sinai’s research facility is characterized by an open plan with flexible modular wet and dry lab spaces that are able to adapt to for variety of biomedical research over time. Designed to accommodate 243 researchers and scientists across 60,000 gsf of space, the 6th and 8th floors support cancer research, neurology, and core labs in genomics, stem cell research, CRISPR and proteomics. The facility is equipped with a 4000-cage animal vivarium and supporting lab spaces.
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As a recruitment tool for Mount Sinai, looking to attract new researchers in the fields of neuroscience and cancer, the design of the facility takes advantage of the natural light and views provided by the location, creating a sought-after work environment that promotes interaction and collaboration. Research floors are fitted out with a total of 170 wet lab benches, the largest of which is located along the eastern edge of the building on the 8th floor, in one massive open workspace.
Conclusion Buildings for science can come in many shapes and sizes and from many different eras. They can be new structures specifically built for science or they can emerge as transformations of older buildings. The availability of real estate in New York City at this time is a rare opportunity to create a new purpose for empty or underutilized buildings. The combination of available space with academic institutions already doing life science work and financial resources for investment create the ideal environment for change. The opportunity to develop a strong biotech industry in New York is upon us. It can draw on all of the strengths that have supported the emergence of new sectors in the past. Now is the time.
Mitchell Giurgola is a New York-based architecture firm that is committed to building with perspective and purpose. Buildings for science, particularly those with highly complex functional requirements, are a hallmark of the practice. The firm has extensive experience designing state-of-the-art laboratories for advanced science research.
Mitchell Giurgola Architects LLP 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 711 New York, NY 10036 212.663.4000 MitchellGiurgola.com