Design for Life Sciences 2024
The Art of Science
We are actively in pursuit of wonder within the design of built environment. We believe design is an act of optimism through which invention and ideas change the world.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
RIOS was founded in 1985 as a design collective working beyond boundaries to inventively combine disciplines and amplify the impact of design. We have offices in Los Angeles, Singapore, Shanghai, London, Austin, and Boulder with over 250 team members contributing to transformative projects globally. We follow a process that begins with attunement, where program and context shape strong conceptual thinking to establish a holistically informed big idea. This overarching idea is the lens through which we develop form, confirm function, and define experience as the basis on which to explore ecology, material, and tectonic expression. The result is strong representation of project goals portrayed through visionary thinking and clear performative expectations. As a result of this process, we are known for our bold solutions that are inclusive of the wider context. We are constantly redefining industry paradigms and gaining the trust of our clients to explore significant design challenges. We are ever mindful that an interdisciplinary approach to design brings about inclusive, resilient, and original solutions that ensure diversity and resilience.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
01
Activating Discov Thinking Outside
very: the Lab
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Scientific Workplace
Activating Discovery The New Laboratory We design spaces where collaboration, inspiration, and creativity are sparked through dynamic and colorful spaces that bring joy, moments infused with art and interest, corners to focus and ponder, intersections that initiate serendipity, and nature that permeates the interiors and connects users to greater forces of wellness and wellbeing.
Ellison Institute of Techn
nology
Art-centered healing
Our Approach to Life Sciences RIOS believes that the laboratory environment is essential to innovation, but the biggest and often most overlooked asset for fostering discovery and invention are outside the labs themselves — the connective spaces that create community and a greater sense of belonging just beyond the doors of the lab.
Research and innovation are critical to the development of essential products and advancements that support our daily lives. As this sector increasingly drives both social and economic development, there is an increasing demand for research facilities that inspire the best researchers to do their best work.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Scientific Workplace
Thinking Outside the Lab The best places for life sciences research are also the best workplaces — combining amenities that refresh and revive with the function and performance of a highperformance lab environment. When the building acts as an energetic campus, the entire asset better supports lab functions, providing users with arms-reach access to what they need to sustain their work with renewed focus.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Scientific Workplace
Elements of Innovation ➊ Connective Gardens Increasingly, people seek outdoor places to meet, focus, or recharge. Access to nature is a key amenity. Nature is a powerful element for creating a strong identity within the entire building design and also a key differentiator for attracting tenants seeking office space to entice and retain talent.
➋ Pocket Parks Bringing the landscape indoors supports wellness in a company’s greatest asset: its people. We create interior landscapes that improve wellbeing and build a sense of place. These biophilic elements encourage calm and have been shown to boost productivity.
➌ Connections to Landscape A thoughtful site design can creatively tie together a complete campus, or anchor a singular building by connecting to the outdoors while providing a verdant exterior view. Outdoor spaces often become shared destinations that energize users, catering to tenants as well as passersby.
➍ Diverse Amenities More than just a snack bar, amenities come in a vast range to thoughtfully appeal to diverse users. From a complete fitness facility, to a food lab/ kitchen that provides healthy communal meals, to the simple but powerful presence of art, amenities are the new level playing field.
➎ Serendipity & Collaboration At the heart and soul of research is not what can be created single-handedly, but what can be created together. The greatest opportunity for discovery comes from being exposed to new ways of thinking, differing points of view, and finding the question you had not yet thought to ask.
➏ Transparency In every design, we focus on the notion of connection. Transparency between the lab and the outdoors is important, as is linking the lab to meeting spaces, circulation spaces, and other labs, with large expanses of glass that allow various functions to visually interconnect.
➐ Convertible Building Not all ideal buildings are new. We consider the important factors when transitioning a building to laboratory — namely bay size and floor to floor, HVAC systems, and freight elevator conveyance. Our experience helps us determine what to look for to ensure that research needs come first. RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Scientific Workplace
The Future of Manufacturing Rethinking Manufacturing for Equity & Wellness Our work in Life Sciences facilities extends to biomanufacturing. We consider how common spaces, access to light, and views to the outdoors increase productivity and efficiency in this vital environment. We offer an evolution of the typical manufacturing floor plate to equitably incorporate workplace culture into the manufacturing environment.
Main Street Layout Typical layouts prioritize offices with perimeter views and asymmetrically distribute amenities and gathering spaces. Our preferred “main street” approach centralizes gathering spaces, amenities, and offices, allowing perimeter views from the manufacturing floor. RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The New Lab Community
Design Strategies
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The New Lab Community
Laboratory Parameters
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The New Lab Community
Optimizing Innovation
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The New Lab Community
PHARMACEUTICAL
PRODU
Laboratory Types
Requirements: • Industrial freezer room for sample storage • Vivarium/incubators for animal and bacteria testing • Autoclave room • Mass Spec equipment room for sample measurement • Dark rooms for imaging and visualizations
Requirem • Scaled air qual • Can be equipm • Used fo science
LAB SPECTRUM LESS: • HAZARD • EQUIPMENT • COMPLIANCE
CLINICAL &
PHARMACEUTICAL
VIVARIUM
PRODUCTION
MEDICAL LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
Less Restrictive:
Prioritize Ph Community
CLINICAL & MEDICAL
VIVARIUM
CLEAN ROOM
Requirements: • UV, temperature, and humidity controlled cold rooms for specimen storage • MRI and dark rooms for imaging and visualizations • Loading area for sample receiving and shipments • Autoclave room for disinfecting equipment • Holding room for specimens
Requirements: • Animal housing rooms (AHRs) with barrier elements from external influences • Procedure rooms and vet/staff office • Cagewash and cage storage room • Shipping and receiving dock • Quarantine/containment room • Necropsy room • MEP room separate from animal functions
Requirements: • Multiple AHU with HE maintain air tempera • Grey room/air showe • Controlled specifica classification for sta machinery, and com • Seismic base isolatio • Design/engineering s STD 209E, BS 5925,
UCTION
CULTURE INCUBATOR
R&D
ments: down plant with strict provisions on lity and containment highly customized with process ment, instrumentation, and piping or pharmaceutical, biotech, and e and tech sectors
Requirements: • Incubators range in size and type from tabletop equipment to warm rooms for microbiological to cell cultures • Temp, humidity, CO2 & O2 level, vibration sensitive depending on incubation type • Redundant power source in case of outages • Glass material for observation without disrupting atmosphere • Decontamination equipment
Requirements: • Broad lab type with gov/internal requirement standards (PBOEL, Bio Safety Laboratories, laboratories with radioactive risks, ISO, and ASTM, etc) • Flexibility and expandability of lab without disruption to ongoing lab operations • Sound, vibration, fluorescent lighting sensitive for testing • Equipment-dense for the replication of a full-scale production while allowing full analysis and product quality metering
Most Restrictive: Prioritize Visual Connections
CLEANROOMS
CULTURE INCUBATOR
ANALYTICAL &
R&D
BIOSAFETY
LABS
QUALITY LABS
LABS
LABS
MORE: • HAZARD • EQUIPMENT • COMPLIANCE
hysical Connections to Lab y as well as Visual Connections
EPA/ULPA filters to ature and quality er rooms ation per cleanroom aff, room finishes, mmon object/material use on standards: ISO 4644-1, FED or GMP EU
ANALYTICAL & QUALITY
BIOSAFETY
Requirements: • High level of cleanliness with strict testing SOP and guidelines based on specific types of analysis • Conformity to QA systems such as GLP, NAMAS, or ISO 9000 standards • Strict guidelines for sample receipt, storage, and disposal
Requirements: • Containment level BSL 1 (Least Hazard) ~ BSL 4 (Most Hazard) • Biosafety closets and MEP equipment based on containment level • Disinfectant traps and HEPA filters • Gowning, decontamination, and shower room • Emergency equipment readily available • HVAC system designed for negative air pressure flow from room of low hazard to room of high hazard • Gas tight enclosure within isolated zones • Self-closing doors with lock and access control
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
02
Our Work
Our ideas come to life through collaboration with our clients. The following projects represent some of our favorite partnerships.
The Campus at Horton Office
Life Sciences
Mixed-Use
Adaptive Reuse
Strategic Adaptive Reuse This adaptive reuse offered the rare opportunity to establish a new state-of-the-art bioscience campus and innovation district in the core of downtown San Diego. Designed in collaboration with RDC, the project transforms a former mall into a net zero carbon, LEED Platinum mixed use destination.
Location San Diego, CA, USA Size
Site: 10 acres Building: 1 million sq. ft.
Services Planning Architecture Landscape Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Urban Innovation Ecosystem Innovation hubs are known to outpace other types of business districts economically, financially, and socially. Over the past decade, life sciences has shifted toward urban areas, to be clustered and connected to R&D institutions, incubators, and startups, and to draw upon a greater talent pool. The San Diego market is no exception.
With multiple world-class research institutions and over 7,000 annual STEM graduates, San Diego is one of the nation’s most concentrated biotech markets. In the area, labs are persistently at a 0% vacancy.
CONVENTION CENTER
MARINA
GASLAMP
EAST VILLAGE CITY CENTER
An Ideal Location for a New Life Sciences Hub Downtown San Diego has seen a resurgence with a vibrant entertainment and restaurant scene, new residential and mixed-use buildings, and a growing population — becoming a top destination to live and work. Connecting it all, an extension of the trolley from downtown to UC San Diego opened in 2021, bringing fast and reliable transit to connect lab hubs to downtown.
The confluence of these factors makes the six-block Campus at Horton — located at the very center of a revitalized and vibrant downtown San Diego — an ideal location for a new life sciences hub. Formerly one of the most successful outdoor urban malls in America, known as Horton Plaza, the existing building had over 750,000 square-feet of deep retail floor plates. The site is bisected by a bright, tiered circulation “canyon” that spills out into the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter to the south, and towards a community park and theater district to the north.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Adaptive Reuse Strategies
➊
Open & Connect to the City Reconnect the site to its urban context
➋
Curate Program
Add new uses to c
Existing condition
m & Amenities
complement existing character
➌
Create a Sense of Place Placemaking through a living ecosystem
Proposed transformation
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Unitized CNCProfiled Insulating Panels with 1’ Solar Overhang High Performance Glazing
0
125
255
385
515
770
640
900
1025
1155
1280
ANNUAL SOLAR EXPOSURE KWH/M2
Construction
High-Performance Facade Design In collaboration with sustainability experts Atelier Ten, RIOS ran whole building solar and envelope performance analysis across multiple facade systems, optimizing performance, cost, shading, solar orientation, usable floor area, and core placement; and as a result, substantially reduced tmechanical loads on the building while increasing tenant comfort and daylighting throughout.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Conversion to Lab Space Adding five floors of large floorplate functionality to the former Nordstrom department store presented a unique set of opportunities. The existing floor to floor height was a already a generous 18’, ideal for the demanding mechanical needs of lab build outs. A new elevator core, whole building cladding, and new mechanical systems were added throughout. A high-performance facade was developed to optimize useful daylight, maximize building performance, and lay the groundwork for carbon neutrality. The depth of the panelized facade, along with high-performance glazing, reduces solar heat gain and glare while optimizing the penetration of natural light.
LAB SUPPORT
LAB SUPPORT
LAB SUPPORT
LAB SUPPORT
COLLAB. LAB
44% Lab 56% Office
BREAK COLLAB. LAB SUPPORT
LAB SUPPORT
LAB SUPPORT
COLLAB.
Designed as a warm-shell speculative laboratory space, the entire building is all electric. Heat recovery coils capture and reuse heat in the 100% outdoor air lab systems, and thermodynamic zoning of the air handling systems eliminates the need for hot water piping and reheating within the space.
LAB SUPPORT
LAB LAB SUPPORT
LAB
SHIPPING/ RECEIVING
SERVICE LOBBY
LOBBY
100% Outdoor Air
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
LAB
Innovation through Adaptive Reuse
Campus-Wide Sustainability An existing fire-access truck tunnel below the raised canyon directly connects all the buildings, providing the perfect opportunity to use the Campus at Horton’s scale to achieve a fully integrated systems approach to sustainability.
At six full city blocks, the campus is large enough to support the first private blackwater treatment plant in San Diego, as well as its own central plant and cooling tower — enabling the project to achieve extraordinary performance and sustainability.
Net Zero Carbon through 2040 60% reduction in carbon 5 MW photovoltaic microgrid 55% potable water reduction 7.5 million gallons of water saved annually 100% outside air $6 million savings in upfront costs 60% reduction in operating expenses
blackwater treated water return piping chilled water
HIGH PERFORMANCE FACADES Recladding with finely tuned high performance facades substantially reduces the size and cost of mechanical equipment.
THERMODYNAMIC ZONING By zoning the AHUs, the need for hot water piping and separate reheating within the space is eliminated.
RENEWABLE ENERGY A 5 MW microgrid covers the 10 acres of roof, and the campus office and labs are fully electrified.
BLACKWATER TREATMENT PLANT Collected and treated blackwater from core restrooms is used for campus-wide irrigation, cooling tower chilled water, and flushing.
DECARBONIZATION Reusing and adapting the existing structure cut embodied carbon by 60% — allowing the project to achieve net zero carbon through 2040.
CENTRAL PLANT + COOLING TOWER The central plant cools the campus while water-source heat pumps pull heat from the return piping to heat the campus. A LIVING ECOSYSTEM By adding lush landscaping throughout, occupant well-being and productivity improve and the microclimate is cooled, reducing the heat island effect.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Ellison Institute of Technology Office
Life Sciences
Research
Communal Healing Harnessing optimal collaboration and scientific transparency, the Ellison Institute of Technology inspires innovation in cancer research and treatment.
Location Los Angeles, CA, USA Size
160,000 sq. ft.
Services Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
“I dre engi diffe and we c imp of ap
Changing the Soil of Research The Ellison Institute of Technology is a world-class cancer institute with a mission that encourages healthcare professionals to collaborate and interact in a nature-centric environment. The Institute’s founding director believes in fundamentally changing the soil of research to advance cancer treatment. The design employs the space, and its overlap of treatment and research, to generate a new strategy in the war against cancer.
eam of a place where physicists, ineers, mathematicians... all erent disciplines... can observe study this horrible disease call cancer; and discuss and plement new and different ways pproaching it.”
The design was conceived around the notion that transparency and optimal collaboration to inspire innovation and transform patient wellness. The floorplan encourages collaboration between researcher, patient, and physician to provide the greatest outcome in treatment. The space design invites users to cross paths and amplifies the power of transparency and collaboration to create a transformative healing environment.
— David Agus, MD RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The floorplan encourages collaboration and invites users to cross paths, amplifying the power of transparency and collaboration to create a transformative healing environment.
Communal outdoor terrace
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Principles of nature inform the materials and open spatial experience. Wood, plants, and a rich palette of earth-toned fabrics throughout the interior evoke nature in an abstract way.
Healing Elements of Nat
By incorporating elements l biophilia, light, sound, and ot sensory strategies, the build connects to the healing com of nature to harness inspirat The views to the outside and planted terraces transform outdoor experience by prov compelling connection to n promote wellness.
ture
like ther ding mponents tion. d the indoorviding a nature to
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Exchange on 16th Office
Life Sciences
Flexible Infrastructure Built in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood — a hub for life science companies — The Exchange attracts tenants in search of workplace environments that promote collaboration and forward-thinking ideas.
Location San Francisco, CA, USA Size
750,000 sq. ft.
Services Architecture Landscape Architecture Experience Design Certified LEED Platinum WELL Core & Shell Gold
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
A Neighborhood Anchored by Life Science Innovators The Exchange on 16th is located in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. Known as a vibrant health and biotech hub, it is a thriving research community home to over 30 leading life science institutions and companies including Pfizer, FibroGen, Bayer, and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. The Exchange’s distinct location makes it one of the first major buildings that drivers on Interstate 280 see as they arrive in San Francisco, making it a symbol for the city. While the massing of the building gives the impression of being four separate structures, The Exchange is in fact only one interconnected building, including three full floors that each
Outdoor gathering spaces
offer potential tenants 90,000 square-feet of contiguous space. High ceilings, an abundance of natural light, and one-of-a-kind views of downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge are additional attractors. Four separate entrances allow for various tenant configurations, with the ability to accommodate up to four different tenants. Individualized front doors provide tenants with the ability to uniquely brand their entrances for a welcoming experience that reflects their culture and identity. The building’s interconnectivity through shared outdoor spaces and amenities creates a campus environment ripe for spontaneous interactions. The project is certified LEED Platinum and WELL Core & Shell Gold.
Articulated facade
Massing for Multiple Tenant Configurations
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Convertible Building for Flexibility RIOS designed The Exchange for creative tenants in search of a workplace that inspires innovative thinking and fosters collaboration. The building is currently fully leased to a creative tech company, but the original base building design was intended to support the local life sciences community — attracting existing or new tenants from the healthcare and biotech industries. The property’s state-of-the-art design boasts infrastructure that is lab ready. Floor-toceiling heights allow for space necessary for mechanical systems typically required in hospital and laboratory settings. Additionally, mild steel concrete slabs allow for easy HVAC duct penetration. The roof is designed with the structural ability to carry heavy loads — a common need for life sciences clients who often reserve roof space for large equipment. Additional building enhancements, with lab tenants in mind, include ample loading areas and a landscape design that is well-coordinated for future in-ground contamination tanks.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Outdoor Environments for Wellness
Research shows that the outdoors, and spaces reflective of nature, have positive impacts on people and the environment.
Green spaces help to restore the mind’s ability to focus, alleviate mental stress, and ultimately improve productivity and performance. The green spaces in and around The Exchange — including a ground floor beer garden and several lush, planted roof decks — draw people outside and offer a relaxed alternative place to meet, connect, and exchange ideas. Plazas and courtyards at street level provide open space for building users and the public alike. The Exchange’s collection of programmed public spaces also include pocket parks and lush rain gardens scattered throughout the project. Setbacks along the primary facades create additional opportunities for terraces, private gardens, and balconies for future building users. The mix of outdoor and green spaces provide tenants comfortable environments for year-round access to the outdoors, taking advantage of San Francisco’s mild coastal climate.
Maximizing the Envelope
Building footprint and maximum envelope.
Lower adjoining buildings to create amenity decks.
Add connective blocks Extend micro plazas to and insert micro plazas. create differentiated entry zones.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Office Lobby Garden Entry Garden Court Stormwater Garden Café Retail Entry Entry Plaza Bike Plaza Dog Run
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
th
Kilroy Realty to Sell The Exchange on 16
for $1.08 Billion
750,000 Square-Foot Mission Bay Property Achieves Record Price for San Francisco th
Kilroy Realty to Sell The Exchange on 16
for $1.08 Billion
Commercial Real Estate Market 750,000 Square-Foot Mission Bay Property Achieves Record Price for San Francisco Commercial Real Estate Market March 08, 2021 09:15 AM Eastern Standard Time
March 08, 2021 09:15 AM Eastern Standard Time
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC) today said it has signed a definitive agreement to th
sell The Exchange on 16
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC) today said it has signed a definitive agreement to , the company’s 750,000 square-foot office property located at 1800 Owens Street in San th
sell The Exchange on 16
, the company’s 750,000 square-foot office property located at 1800 Owens Street in San
Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, for a purchase price of $1.08 billion or approximately $1,440 per square foot. Brokers Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, for a purchase price of $1.08 billion or approximately $1,440 per square foot. Brokers
have reported this as the highest per-square-foot sales price for ain major the city’s commercial real estate market. have reported this as the highest per-square-foot sales price for a major property theproperty city’s incommercial real estate market. The transaction is currently in escrow and expected to close at the end of March.
The transaction is currently in escrow and expected to close at the end of March.
“This transaction demonstrates that quality assets in quality locations remain highly attractive to buyers and in this case generated a record price,” said John Kilroy, chairman and chief executive officer of KRC. “The return we achieved from
“This transaction demonstrates that quality assets in quality locations remain highly attractive to buyers and in this case
development to disposition clearly highlights the value we have created through our development program. In addition, the
generated a record price,” said John Kilroy, chairman and chief executive officer of KRC. “The return we achieved from strong price underscores the embedded value of our stabilized portfolio, which is well-leased, modern and highly sustainable.” development to disposition clearly highlights the value we have created through our development program. In addition, the “This is a resounding sign that people are still excited to be a part of San Francisco and its future. I want to thank Kilroy Realty
strong price underscores the embedded value of our stabilized portfolio, which is well-leased, modern and highly sustainable.” for their ongoing partnership and collaboration, and recognize them for how they continue to use their development expertise
to move forward positive projects that help our economy grow and support the future of our City,” said London Breed, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco.
“This is a resounding sign that people are still excited to be a part of San Francisco and its future. I want to thank Kilroy Realty for their ongoing partnership and collaboration, and recognize forinhow they continue to use their development expertise KRC commenced development of Thethem Exchange late 2015 and signed a 15-year lease with Dropbox, Inc. (Nasdaq: DBX) for the entire office component of the property in 2017. At the time, it was the largest single Class A commercial lease
to move forward positive projects that help our economy grow and support the future of our City,” said London Breed, Mayor transaction ever completed in San Francisco. The total development cost for the project was approximately $585 million or
of the City and County of San Francisco.
$780 per-square-foot.
The company will use the sale proceeds to fund development, for acquisitions, and for other general corporate purposes,
KRC commenced development of The Exchange in late 2015 and signed a 15-year lease with Dropbox, Inc. (Nasdaq: DBX) including potentially paying down debt, repurchasing stock or paying a special dividend to the company’s common
for the entire office component of the property in 2017. At the time, it was the largest single Class A commercial lease stockholders. transaction ever completed in San Francisco. The total development cost for the project was approximately $585 million or About Kilroy Realty Corporation. Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the “company”, “KRC”) is a leading West Coast
$780 per-square-foot.
landlord and developer, with a major presence in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design. As pioneers and innovators in the creation of a more sustainable real estate industry, the company’s approach to modern
The company will use the sale proceeds to fund development, for acquisitions, and for other general corporate purposes,
business environments helps drive creativity, productivity and employee retention for some of the world’s leading technology,
entertainment, life science and business servicesacompanies. including potentially paying down debt, repurchasing stock or paying special dividend to the company’s common
stockholders. KRC is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index with more than seven decades of experience developing, acquiring and managing office and mixed-use projects.
About Kilroy Realty Corporation. Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the “company”, “KRC”) is a leading West Coast
In early 2021, The Exchange reached a record-setting achievement, with Kilroy selling the property for the highest price to date in San Francisco’s commercial real estate market.
As of December 31, 2020, KRC’s stabilized portfolio totaled approximately 14.6 million square feet of primarily office and life
landlord and developer, with a major presence in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the
science space that was 91.2% occupied and 94.3% leased. The company also had 808 residential units in Hollywood and
San Diego, which had a quarterly average occupancy of 89.5% and 50.4%, operations, respectively. In addition, KRC had six in-process Pacific Northwest. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building innovation and design.
As pioneers and innovators in the creation of a more sustainable real estate industry, the company’s approach to modern business environments helps drive creativity, productivity and employee retention for some of the world’s leading technology, entertainment, life science and business services companies.
KRC is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index with more than seven decades of experience developing, acquiring and managing office and mixed-use projects.
As of December 31, 2020, KRC’s stabilized portfolio totaled approximately 14.6 million square feet of primarily office and life science space that was 91.2% occupied and 94.3% leased. The company also had 808 residential units in Hollywood and San Diego, which had a quarterly average occupancy of 89.5% and 50.4%, respectively. In addition, KRC had six in-process
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
South Bay Innovation Campus Mixed-Use
Office
Life Sciences
Community Connections With new creative offices and an advanced life sciences research facility needing to share a campus, RIOS created a clear planning strategy to address complex security and logistical requirements for office and manufacturing users.
Location Confidential Size
29 acres
Services Planning Architecture Landscape Architecture
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Site plan
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Gathering spaces for both tenants and the
Secure R&D spaces maintain
e community
n privacy
Welcoming the Community RIOS’ design for the South Bay Innovation Campus is centered around creating a mixed-use commercial office and life science campus that provides a central park for the neighboring community, while maintaining a secure environment for R&D and commercial office tenants. RIOS worked with the client to organize the site such that community-focused facilities buffer the public sides of the project, while backing sensitive research programs to the more private side of the campus to allow for access and logistics away from public open space.
The client’s program requires a public space experience that welcomes the community into the site that provides a set of amenities such as event spaces, retail, and food and beverage facilities to activate the site and create a destination for tenants and the community alike. The project seeks to use the various program types to allow for the mixing of users and the public on the city-facing side of the site, while leveraging the building facades of the research facilities to maintain perimeter security from the service and operation activity.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Serendipity & Collaboration This centrally open campus stimulates interaction between researchers, staff, students, and visitors within and between labs and departments, by carefully weaving shared amenities throughout the campus.
Connections to Landscape A new tree-lined greenway is inspired by the riparian ecology of the local creek and amplifies the historic waterway, bringing a biophilic experience to users’ doorsteps.
Standard Structural Bays A series of low- and mid-rise buildings, with structural bays optimized for lab uses, are designed with infrastructure to support flexible configurations that cater to various program requirements.
Diverse Amenities Along the green loop, jewel-like moments of campus-serving amenity space activate the route, including a food hall, fitness center, amphitheater, conference center, and classrooms
Gardens & Pocket Parks Indoor/outdoor seating as well as lounge and workout areas activate the greenway at targeted moments between the research buildings.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Cascading Campus Office
Life Sciences
Research in Timber RIOS is currently designing three ground-up buildings on a 15-acre life science campus which features 14,500 square-feet of amenity space.
Location Confidential Size
650,000 sq. ft.
Services Architecture Landscape Architecture Planning Interior Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
This life science campus was designed to feel rooted in its place. Both architectural and landscape elements are attuned to their natural surroundings. RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
A Connected Campus The campus steps down from west to east along a landscaped podium; three timber-framed buildings anchor the perimeter of the site, creating a central plaza activated by adjoining amenities. The porosity of the buildings engages the landscape, connecting outdoor vegetation with the building interiors to enhance the wellbeing of occupants. The network of communal spaces for each building is directly connected to the central plaza, forming a symbiotic network of places that activate the heart of the site.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Canyon Campus Office
Life Sciences
A Confluence of Innovation The heart of this Life Sciences Campus takes the form of a “canyon” to bring light and air into the daily activity of all building inhabitants.
Location Bay Area, CA, USA Size
2,500,000 sq. ft.
Services Architecture Landscape Architecture Planning
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
UT AH
AV E
OV E
SAN M ATEO AVE
RP AS S
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 5B
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 5A
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 6
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 4B
101 FREEWAY LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 4A
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 3B
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 2
LAB/OFFICE BUILDING3A LAB/OFFICE BUILDING 1
500 feet
SAN BRU N
O SLOUG
H
FUTURE UTAH AVE OVERPASS
URBAN PLAZA
COMMUNITY AMENITY BUILDING MAKER SPACE
RING ROAD FIRE ACCESS ALLEY SOCIAL STAIRS CONTEMPLATION GARDEN TERRACED BALCONIES
CENTRAL CANYON TERRACED BALCONIES COMMUNITY GARDEN
CASCADING WATER FEATURE
OUTDOOR COLLABORATION SPACE TERRACED BALCONIES
WATER FEATURE
COMMUNITY AMENITY BUILDING
ARRIVAL PLAZA
A Campus Canyon Buffered from the 101 freeway and oriented toward the south, the canyon at the heart of the campus will be a peaceful oasis, with dramatic vistas to the Santa Cruz Mountains. The north end of the canyon creates an urban gateway to the campus, framing a view of Sign Hill. Open space filled with lush vegetation and inviting amenities cascades from terrace to terrace.
Community Connections A network of paseos, courtyards, and amenity spaces branches off the canyon, reaching towards each building and linking the campus with an emerging urban fabric to the west. These pathways and gathering spaces encourage spontaneous interactions and bring an indoor-outdoor lifestyle to the work environment. Rain gardens, botanical displays, and shade trees will foster health and wellness while expanding habitat for pollinators and native species. Connectivity extends beyond the site to reach the San Francisco Bay Trail, as well as BART and Caltrain stations.
Biophilic Buildings The campus makes ecological stewardship a hallmark of its design. The buildings will use heavy timber construction as much as possible. The network of outdoor terraces affords equal and easy access to the outdoors, and allows tenants to naturally ventilate some spaces. The terraces are also central to the sitewide stormwater management strategy, retaining and filtering water in a manner that mimics adjacent natural wetlands.
OVERLOOK RING ROAD
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Office
Amenity
Lab
A Workplace in Nature The 22’x33’ structural bay module supports a massing strategy that provides more workspaces with direct access to outdoor green space. Breaking down large building masses through this technique also creates a tapestry of outdoor decks as part of each tenant’s space. These decks are essential to the healthy workplace, encouraging people to collaborate and interact in an environment intimately intertwined with plants, trees, and sunlight.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
From the 101 freeway, the buildings’ timber frame is visible behind glass curtain wall facades, and expressed through distinctive grid proportions.
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Expressive Sustainability Lush planting on the canyon floor reinforces the green spine that connects the entire campus. The canyon invites workers and visitors into an immersive natural environment, establishing a strong spatial identity and a diversity of social spaces while referencing the surrounding Bay Area ecology. The campus is a microcosm of the remarkable Bay Area landscape: a rich habitat of sunny perches overlooking a verdant plain fringed by wetlands. RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
South Bay Offices Office
Life Sciences
Oasis of Greenery A dark and dull warehouse space is transformed with light wells and interior landscapes in support of workplace wellness. The new space offers a fresh and bright environment for this biopharma client’s new offices in L.A.’s South Bay region.
Location El Segundo, CA, USA Size
60,000 sq. ft.
Services Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
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➊ ➊ Open Workstations ➋ Pocket Parks ➌ Product Science Office ➍ Cafeteria ➎ Social Hub
Connected Spaces For A Varied Workforce The company’s El Segundo workforce consists of two different types of employees: researchers who spend most of their day in the laboratory and need a space in the office to touch down, answer emails, return phone calls, and interact with their colleagues; and administrative staff who require a quiet environment at their desks for focused concentration. Our design allows for two workplaces in one.
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Just beyond the main reception desk sits a social center where lounge-style furniture is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Surrounding this hive of activity are banks of traditional workstations with assigned seating for 134 people. Within the assigned seating area, informal meeting tables and bar-height counters foster collaboration. Low-profile partitions between cubicles encourage spontaneous conversations.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Varied spaces for different work styles
An Illuminated Workplace We began the design process by identifying ways to bring light into a 60,000-squarefoot warehouse space through the use of skylights, windows, and doors. Dark and dull spaces were transformed into a bright and inviting workplace environment surrounding workers with abundant interior landscaping — providing an oasis of greenery in an otherwise industrial setting.
Meeting rooms and other communal spaces are sited beneath the skylights and the dining hall is located at the edge of the building, enabling an indoor-outdoor expansion to the adjacent patio. Workplace amenities are dispersed and made accessible to all by directing the office’s circulation patterns through the prime real estate.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Santa Monica Headquarters Office
Life Sciences
Intersection of Innovation A sculptural staircase connects five floors of various workspaces, amenity zones, and indoor pocket parks to support this biopharma company’s collaborative culture — promoting interactions that spark innovation.
Location Santa Monica, CA, USA Size
160,000 sq. ft.
Services Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The Connected Workplace A sculptural staircase lies at the heart of the 30,000-square-foot floor plates, physically linking each level and establishing a visual connection throughout the five-story building. The project renovation integrates views of nature at the groundfloor courtyard and via several terraces on each floor. Individual terraces are augmented with amenities such as communal gathering spaces dubbed “pocket parks”, which occur indoors to create the foundation for a biophilic workplace. RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Design Elements Inspired by Science This pharmaceutical company’s offices are designed for the future of work. Traditional workstations combined with a multitude of breakout, communal, and private spaces support a multi-modal work environment. A sleek, high-tech aesthetic sets the tone for the offices and are punctuated by bright, colorful and graphic moments — sparking inspiration and serving as wayfinding.
Bold color and graphics
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility Office
Life Sciences
Amplifying Innovation RIOS enhanced the interior architecture of the office environments that connect this biotech company’s laboratories. The new design cultivates collaborative work and spurs innovation.
Location Newark, CA, USA Size
60,000 sq. ft.
Services Interior Architecture Experience Design
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Playful Spaces to Inspire Innovation This biotech company is catalyzing the next revolution in cancer treatment. The company is expanding with the development of a state-of-the-art technical manufacturing facility in the San Francisco East Bay Area. RIOS’s design amplifies the company’s character and dedication to discovery, translational research, development, and cell manufacturing. Spaces are curated to support the need for focus areas and collaboration, with inviting respite areas where scientists can unwind and exchange ideas with others. Echoing our design for the company’s headquarters, a bright color palette and strong geometric forms emulate the sculptural features of the HQ project while capitalizing on the openness and large floorto-ceiling space of the existing industrial structure. The space accommodates more than 125 hot-desk workspaces to maximize efficiency, enclosed conference rooms to achieve privacy, as well as numerous informal meeting and workspaces, including a community bleacher stair at the center of a large all-hands meeting hall. RIOS’ design includes large custom graphics that celebrate the scientific work taking place in the labs.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Picture windows connect the research labs with surrounding spaces, amplifying the client’s connected culture and dedication to collaborative work.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Pharma Headquarters Office
Life Sciences
Transparent & Connected A signature feature staircase, inspired by the molecular double helix form, connects three previously separate floors within this biopharma client’s new headquarters.
Location South San Francisco, CA, USA Size
67,000 sq. ft.
Services Interior Design Landscape Architecture Furniture Design Workplace Strategy
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
The light-filled lobby is the starting point for the circular staircase, inspired by the double helix of double-stranded DNA. This active circulation integrates with the large all-hands space and surrounding seating areas.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Immersive Wayfinding At the entry, a custom light fixture based on the company’s logo creates a modern but subtle wayfinding element. The company’s brand is further reinforced through round and circular elements sprinkled through the space. The signature stair connects to the second floor — where visitors can glimpse a working laboratory — and culminates on the third floor, in a large open collaboration area with a snack bar and exterior dining terrace.
Artwork and graphics
Custom wall graphics inspired by innovative cell therapy animate the space.
RIOS
Design for Life Sciences
Los Angeles 3101 West Exposition Place Los Angeles, CA 90018 Austin 1711 E. Cesar Chavez St, Suite B Austin, TX 78702 Boulder 1980 8th Street Boulder, CO 80302 London 68-80 Hanbury Street London E1 5JL, UK Singapore 1 Keong Saik Road The Working Capitol Singapore 089109 Shanghai ANKEN Avenue B-3G 300 Jiang Chang Rd. Jing An District, Shanghai, China 323. 785. 1800 RIOS.com