Precision Labs: Transforming Offices Into Labs

The Baltimore, Maryland/Washington, D.C. area is a hot market for life sciences laboratory and manufacturing space, according to a November 2021 report from real estate and investment company CBRE. It says that there is demand for 1.8 million square feet of space in the area, but only 650,000 square feet of space available or under construction. The report notes that there should be another 714,000 square feet of lab/R&D construction coming online by the end of this year; 85 percent of this space will be the result of converting existing office space to laboratories.

Coakley & Williams Construction recently began one such conversion project for Rock Creek Properties’ new Precision Labs product. CWC will be renovating a former office building in Germantown, Maryland, and transforming it into six spec labs totaling 64,000 square feet.

Converting office space to lab space is happening more and more often, according to Jason Shaw, life science sector leader at CWC. “There is definitely a need for these move-in ready spaces for smaller companies that are in the early stages of their life. There are very low vacancy rates in this area, so having a space that they can move into and start doing their work without having to go through a construction build is very attractive to these clients.”

CWC’s scope of work will include demolition of existing finishes and installation of new finishes including flooring, laboratory casework, fume hoods and exhaust systems and upgrades to power and mechanical systems.

“Office spaces are designed for just that — offices. So, the first thing that needs to be done is for the developers and architects to verify that these buildings can take the loads that are going to be imposed on them by this laboratory equipment,” said Shaw. “We also need to look at the ceiling heights to make sure that there is enough room above the finish ceiling to add all the additional ductwork and utilities that are necessary to support a space of this kind.”

The project team must also check the roof structure and make whatever structural modifications are necessary to ensure that it is capable of handling the additional loads imposed by the exhaust fans and air handling units required by the laboratories.

This article was originally seen in Building Washington - Summer 2022

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