Multi-Use Lab and Biomanufacturing Campus Reaches Construction Milestone

May 30, 2023

A group of construction employees wearing personal protective equipment gather inside of a construction jobsite

The commercial real estate industry continues to meet growing demand for lab and biomanufacturing space, and North Carolina’s Research Triangle metro area is a hot spot for this growth. Brasfield & Gorrie and Trinity Capital Advisors are rising to the occasion with the construction of Spark LS. The project’s research and development lab and office building recently celebrated its topping out, a construction milestone that marks a building reaching its full height.

Phase one of the completed project will include seven buildings:

· A 155,000 sq ft research and development lab and office building

· A 163,000 sq ft biomanufacturing cGMP building

· A 210,000 sq ft biomanufacturing cGMP building

· A 10,000 sq ft fitness center

· A 20,000 sq ft amenity space

· A campus leasing and conference center.

A 966-space parking deck and a multitude of outdoor gathering spaces, situated around a unique reflection pond, are also part of the first phase on the 97-acre site.

“As companies continue to look for lab space to house their research, we work with partners like Trinity Capital Advisors on facilities that can meet these needs,” said Brasfield & Gorrie Vice President Scott Cooper. “Spark LS will offer a place for cutting-edge companies to collaborate on life-changing science.”

The general contractor also built Spark’s on-site leasing center and previously constructed the Southport Business Park Speculative Laboratories for Trinity.

Brasfield & Gorrie has successfully completed more than $1.3 billion in science and technology projects, accounting for 6 million sq ft of space. The general contractor recently earned an ABC National Excellence in Construction Pyramid Award for the Park Point Redevelopment. The GRAIL Laboratory and Research Facility earned an ABC National Excellence in Construction Eagle Award; ABC Carolinas Best in BIM and Eagle awards; and ENR Southeast’s Best Renovation/Restoration award Other recently completed Research Triangle Park projects include Southport Innovation Center Labs and the Longfellow Discovery 4 Speculative Laboratory.

Brasfield & Gorrie is collaborating with architect Hanbury, Cushman & Wakefield, Lynch Mykins Structural Engineers, PC, Surface 679, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., Crenshaw Consulting Engineers, and Salas O’Brien. Spark LS phase one is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2024.