Campus development for breakthrough innovation

The demand for innovative and sustainable facilities in Life Sciences is growing. Outdated laboratories, insufficient capacity, and stricter laws and regulations such as the Approved Measures List (EML) and the Paris Climate Agreement present companies with a crucial choice: renovate or build new facilities.

Life Science campuses merge laboratories, production facilities and offices, to offer future-proof solutions which stimulate efficiency, strengthen synergies and accelerate innovation, all of which directly contribute to a better quality of life.

Five factors for a forward-looking campus

Developing a Life Sciences campus is complex and requires an approach that takes five key components into account:

1. Seamless integration: A Life Sciences campus hosts production facilities, laboratories and offices. This requires smart integration without compromising on safety, efficiency and flexibility. A campus is a community, it should be somewhere people can excel in their work, meet other people, learn and relax.
2. Strict regulations: Life science companies and startups work to GMP regulations or ISO standards that govern everything from air quality, to microbiological safety, to gas storage, to cleanability. The design must comply with these without sacrificing ease of use or scalability.
3. Energy efficiency and sustainability: Modern campuses must meet Paris Proof standards. This calls for advanced energy-saving measures, such as renewed and sharable energy infrastructures with systems for reusing waste heat and water. The campus needs flexible future-proof solutions that last for years without major modifications.
4. Flexibility for the future: Combining specialisation and flexibility is essential. Laboratories are often designed specifically for certain processes or activities, but at the same time need to be prepared for future growth and changing business needs. This includes provision for the space being repurposed for a completely different use in the future. This balance is key in making a campus, or indeed any building, more sustainable and future-proof.
5. Consequences for the area: How will redevelopment into a campus affect the (surrounding) area? Approached correctly, a campus becomes not only a functional entity, but also an integral part of a thriving, future-oriented community. It attracts similar or complementary businesses who can share infra-structure and benefit from co-location.

Case study: future-oriented redevelopment of a campus

A chemical Life Sciences company engaged Deerns to make its site more sustainable and energy efficient. Deerns was involved from the earliest stages and carried out a thorough analysis. The result? A redevelopment that not only strengthens the client company, but also has a positive impact on the region.

The campus will have a new production facility and laboratory for chemical product development and research support. Sustainability is central, with energy-neutral solutions such as solar panels and green roofs. The client company will reduce its current portfolio of 14 buildings, to help optimise its overall energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.

To clearly identify the client needs, Deerns organised workshops involving employees focusing on the key question: “If you were starting over, what would you want to be different about your workplace?”. This approach led to a broad-based future-proof design, fully aligned with the 2050 climate goals. The project underlines the value of early involvement and close cooperation between disciplines.

Deerns as strategic partner

Campus development requires in-depth expertise and strategic insight, starting with the end user in mind. Deerns’ strength lies in combining our in-house disciplines: from sustainability advice and technical designs to lab design and smart labs. Resulting in the creation of an inspiring and future-proof working and research environment.