NYC Biotech: Engine for New York's Economy

NYC Biotech: Engine for New York’s Economy Report No. 1

1 Introduction In today’s challenging environment, it is clear that science, particularly life science, is the way forward.

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.

The Urgency of Biotech We have the need. The immediate concern we are currently facing is one of the greatest public health challenges in over a century. In the longterm, health, longevity, density and climate change will continue to be issues of particular importance nationally and internationally. The biomed field continues to push solutions, ideas and responses to these challenging issues both in immediate and long-horizon ways.

We have the brainpower. The top medical institutions and medical schools in the world are located in New York City including Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell University, Columbia University, NYU, and Mount Sinai. They are involved in both the clinical and research sides of the issues and are uniquely able to contribute to the effort.

We have the investment capability. Year-todate venture capital funding for life sciences in 2020 has already reached $6 billion nationally.

Funding to New York City has reached nearly $300 million this year and NIH funding is expected to break another annual record.

We have the space. With the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, businesses are giving up or taking less space, and real estate owners are looking for new opportunities.

Biotech could be a driver for both new construction and the renovation of existing buildings.

Investment Summary

$620M

$5

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo launches $650 million initiative to support the development of biotech in the state of New York.

Mayor B plan inc $500 m years in science

$150M $10M NYCEDC $10M

Expansion Space Fund for biotech startups to expand.

NYCEDC partnered with venture capitalists to invest in early-stage life science companies.

$2.2B $19B

500M

Bill de Blasio’s cludes investing million over 10 n NYC’s life es sector.

New York City received Venture $2.2B in capital Nationalfunding for life science in 2019 Institutes of Health reached over $19B in (NIH) funding in 2019. the United States.

NIH funding for 2020 is expected to break another annual record.

$2.2B $2B New New York York City Statereceived received $2.2B in National over $2B in NIH funding Institutes of Health in 2019. 2020 is expected (NIH) funding in annual 2019. to break another NIH funding for 2020 is record. expected to break another annual record.

New York City Institutions

Academic Institutions Academic Medical Center

NYC has the world’s largest concentration of academic institutions in the world with nine major academic medical centers.

Understanding the Challenge Traditionally, it was thought that biotech and life sciences have to be housed in new buildings to support the unique infrastructure requirements of this type of program. That is definitely one way to do it. But in New York City, there are many unused or underutilized existing buildings, that can be re-purposed with the addition of new infrastructure for biotech/life science research and production use.

Over the course of the last 30 years, Mitchell Giurgola has worked with clients to evaluate and design infrastructure, laboratories, testing and manufacturing facilities for scores of buildings, most of which are adaptive reuse projects of existing structures. We have learned that there is no ‘one size fits all’ and that there are many ways to achieve successful building transformations for innovative scientific inquiry.

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LAB BENCH SPACING

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NATURAL LIGHT + VIEW

NATURAL LIGHT + VIEW

FLOOR PLATE

2 Threshold Issues

PENTHOUSE + BASEMENT (MEP)

VERTICAL INFRASTRUCTURE (MEP)

VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION (FREIGHT)

POWER

DATA

The process begins by understanding both the capacity and characteristics of a building as well as the unique needs of the desired research, testing, and production activities. In following pages we detail the threshold issues that determine if a building is well-suited for scientific research.

Threshold Issues Building Height The only legal limitations on the height of laboratories are those described in Table 414.2.2 of the Building Code, which says that only a very small quantity of hazardous materials may be used or stored on or above the 9th floor and none may be used or stored lower than 2 floors below grade.1 BUILDING HEIGHT

FLOOR TO FLOOR

Floor to Floor New laboratory buildings are designed with floor to floor heights of 15’-0” or more. Designing laboratory spaces in existing buildings with floor to floor heights as low as 10’-0” presents challenges which it may be possible to be overcome through careful placement of shafts, routing of ductwork and coordination of services.

FLOOR LOADING lb

LAB BENCH SPACING

Floor Loading Buildings must have substantial structural capacity to accommodate large loads associated with the equipment needs of the life science program.

726 Broadway, New NATURAL LIGHT + VIEW

1 https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/apps/pdf_viewer/viewer. html?file=2014CC_BC_Chapter_4_Special_Detailed_Requirements. pdf&section=conscode_2014, Table 414.2.2

w York University

Threshold Issues Column Spacing Modular laboratory planning provides efficiency and flexibility. As described in NIH’s Design Guidelines, lab modules should be approximately 11’ wide in both directions.1 Harmonizing bench and column spacing is the first step in modular planning. Columns spaced 20’-22’ or 30’-33’ in at least one direction are optimal.

Natural Light and Views Work hours in a laboratory setting can be long and intense. Access to substantial light and views is important for a productive and healthy workplace.

Floor Plate Square or rectangular floor plates with a width of approximately 100’ provide the greatest flexibility in laboratory planning. Widths of as little as 60’ are workable with careful planning and have the advantage of providing occupants with an exposure to an abundance of natural light.

Smilow Research

1 https://www.orf.od.nih.gov/TechnicalResources/Documents/DRM/ DRM1.4042419.pdf, page 123

h Center, NYU School of Medicine

Threshold Issues Penthouse + Basement (MEP) Although it is often possible to locate some of the extensive infrastructure associated with laboratories on individual floors, it is likely that rooftop and cellar space will be required to accommodate air handlers, fume hood exhaust fans, emergency generators, electrical switchgear, boilers, pure water plants, air compressors, vacuum pumps and/or chemical waste treatment systems.

Vertical Infrastructure Basic infrastructure services that would not be needed in a non-laboratory building include: higher ventilation rates (6 air changes per hour in labs vs. 1 ACH for offices1), dedicated exhaust for fume hoods, 100% outside air in areas where chemicals are used, robust power, emergency power, and frequent plumbing drops to sinks at lab benches. These services run up from basements or down from rooftops and require vertical shafts carved out of each floor plate.

Vertical Transportation The ability to move both people and equipment vertically through the building is another important factor. Ideally passenger and freight elevators are separate and elevator cabs are large enough to easily handle their loads, which might include large and/or heavy scientific equipment such as freezers and mass spectrometers.

Data Computational work is becoming an increasing part of life science investigation. Adequate and uninterrupted data is critical for any building for biotech. Server farms, either in the building or connected to the building may be an integral part of the necessary infrastructure for heavy users of data.

1 https://ateam.lbl.gov/Design-Guide/docs/lowenergy.pdf

Power Many of the life science activities and much of the equipment that is used require robust power as well as emergency power that provides uninterrupted service. A typical lab bench provides power outlets every 2’. In addition to the lab benches, laboratory support spaces – including environmental rooms and rooms with multiple freezers and refrigerators - draw high levels of power (plug loads of 2-20 watts/square foot in labs vs. 1 WSF for offices1).

Server Room, New York University

3 Retrofitting for Life Science Threshold Issues in Context Applying the principles of the threshold issues provides a thorough and valuable understanding of whether a building is suitable for transformation. Understanding baseline existing characteristics of height, size, and structure combined with capacity and cost to augment infrastructure are critical to the decision making process.

The following pages show examples of successful transformations using these principles.

Scenario 1 Building with a Narrow Footprint

Conceptual Plan Study A building with a 60’ wide floor plate can accommodate open plan lab benches on either side of an interior lab support zone. The optimal relationship of lab to lab support space varies but may be as much as 60:40, in which case the central zone might be approximately 24’. In the example shown this allows the two central rows of columns (some of which are not on the planning module) to be located within the lab support zone, creating one unified complex with state-of-the-art open laboratory spaces and new common areas designed to promote collaboration and intellectual exchange. Office and computational needs can vary widely.

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Building with a Narrow Footprint

Collaborative Research Center Building Transformation The Collaborative Research Center is a prime example of how aging buildings can be sustainably transformed into state-of-the-art centers for advanced scientific research. The project involved the complete interior and exterior renovation of two early 20th century buildings, and the construction of a new bridging building that joins the two sites. The revitalized project creates one unified complex with state-of-the-art open laboratory spaces and new common areas designed to promote collaboration and intellectual exchange.

Because of the limited ceiling height offered by the two existing buildings, MG inserted vertical rather than horizontal utility infrastructure.

New Mechanical Penthouse Vertical Shafts

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Building with a Narrow Footprint

Laboratory Planning

The two landmarked buildings that comprise the CRC are Flexner Hall, built in 1917, and Smith Hall, built in 1930, both narrow buildings with low floor to floor height. Mitchell Giurgola’s open laboratory plan for each wing and the use of mobile casework provides flexibility for changing research needs without requiring major renovation.

These open laboratories with internal circulation and no public corridors maximize the net space for science, eliminate unoccupied hallways and emphasize the importance of intellectual exchange among researchers. These state-of-theart labs incorporate the latest in technology and safety features, provide flexible layouts, maximize natural light and utilize natural materials to provide an enjoyable work environment.

Key Plan

Common Labs Lab Support Support

Scenario 2 Building with a Deep Footprint

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A building with a 100’ x 100’ floor plate provides great flexibility in planning lab space, however, inevitably more areas are remote from windows.

Lab support, rest rooms, mechanical spaces and other service areas are well suited to interior locations, but other “people” spaces may need to forfeit direct access to a window. This can be mitigated by “borrowing” natural light through glazed office partitions, and thoughtful use of artificial light, color and natural materials.

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Building with a Deep Footprint

726 Broadway Building Transformation 726 Broadway is a Neo-Classical style manufacturing building constructed in 1917.

Mitchell Giurgola designed the transformation of the top three floors of a former early 20th Century manufacturing building into an innovative flagship location for NYU’s Physics Department. The complete gut renovation of 95,000 SF of space was a successful lesson in the power of adaptive reuse.

Turning an old manufacturing building into a science-heavy lab facility required a new 15,000 SF mechanical plant designed to sit on the roof of the structure. The MEP plant was designed not only for the optimal performance of the Physics Department fit-out, but also to meet the future needs of four additional planned floor renovations for biology labs.

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In addition to the rooftop equipment, a large vertical shaft was designed for vertical distribution and MEP spaces were allocated to the basement.

Together this new infrastructure acts as a backbone for all the building’s systems.

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Building with a Deep Footprint

Laboratory Planning

The key to developing the laboratory plan was creating a comprehensible system of circulation, where corridors end at collaborative spaces with exterior views and/or exposure to natural light, around which the research “neighborhoods” were arranged.

Views into laboratories animate the building interior and inform visitors about the nature of the work conducted. A tremendous variety of research activities are accommodated including fume hood intensive physical chemistry, laser imaging, and superconducting electromagnetism.

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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.

Photography Credits Collaborative Research Center, Rockefeller University Jeff Goldberg/ESTO Smilow Research Center, NYU School of Medicine Jeff Goldberg/ESTO E Building, Weill Cornell Medicine Jeff Goldberg/ESTO 726 Broadway, New York University Albert Vecerka/ESTO

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