The co-location of users and visitors operating in different facets of the industry (venture capital co-located with scientists, for example), coupled with places and programming that provides platforms for ‘human collisions’, amplifies the value of and demand for space in research and  innovation clusters.

Real estate leaders are incorporating life science incubator space, with mentorship programs and business training, to catapult new ideas – and offer value to their tenant pool, too. This typology of makerspace or coworking space is newer but appears to be growing.

Many successful life science districts have been grown alongside universities, with varying degrees of formality or informality in that relationship and co-location. Colocating academic research, private research and supporting business functions contributes to tenant demand; developments without that mix in a competitive landscape may need to lean even harder on other aspects of their offer (pricepoint or location centrality, as examples).

Multiple built typologies of life science districts have enjoyed success. Some of the early successes were campuses or business park environments – succeeding as a series of standalone buildings, often with easy vehicle access, dominated by a single industry and often with little in terms of ground floor activation, public spaces or other uses. Now, there is a growing appetite from both tenants and developers for life science space in denser, urban and mixed-use environments, like those MurrayTwohig projects we highlighted in our introduction.

Given their extensive educational training, leading life scientists are often older and have families, compared to many other industries (tech, for example). The kinds of amenities, programmes and placemaking strategies that appeal to this audience should also be different – for example, workplace creches or on-site summer camps may be amenities well-suited to workers and their lifestage.

Industry-leading and award-winning scientists are more likely than the general population to have meaningful artistic hobbies. Psychologist and author Adam Grant shares that “Nobel Prize-winners are twice as likely to play a musical instrument, they’re seven times as likely to draw or paint, 12 times as likely to write fiction or poetry, and — get this — 22 times as likely as their peers to perform as actors, dancers, or, yes, magicians”. Programming and amenities should offer opportunities for curiosity, creativity and expression.

The nature of research and experimentation means that some workers must utilise the space throughout the day, and all week long; remote work is also not possible to the same extent for many of these people. Even more so than ‘typical’ workplaces, life science work environments need to be welcoming and convenient 24/7.

Life science businesses are more likely to require bespoke workspace for a wide range of considerations like security, ventilation, and climate control. Retrofit or conversion from other uses is therefore difficult, driving demand for purpose-built space. This built specificity can also create difficult street frontage, which should be considered and addressed in building design and ground plane treatment.