The future of discovery

The new Center for Innovative Drug Research (CIDR) brings together multiple research groups from across this client's campus into a single, 365,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that supports world-class research, fosters a community of collaboration, and inspires life-changing discoveries. Separated into three research wings connected by a shared spine, the four-story CIDR is one of the largest pharmaceutical research facilities in California, housing drug safety evaluation, structural chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and a variety of biology laboratories, including discovery virology, clinical virology, biomarker sciences, biologics, target biology, immunology, and core services.

Conceived as more than merely a "bricks and mortar building," the Center creates a distinct home for its community of scientists. Researchers were highly involved in all aspects of the Center's design and construction, integrating directly into the design team, and gathering together to celebrate important milestones with the construction crew as the building progressed. Involving the researchers in all aspects of the facility's development not only ensured it would meet their practical needs, but also established a sense of personal ownership, transforming a collection of formerly isolated research groups into a unified, collaborative community.

The Center for Innovative Drug Research is intimately aligned with the client's forward-looking corporate strategy which is grounded in speed, agility, and operational excellence – while also establishing itself as a valued home for a collaborative research community. Despite its considerable size, the Center has been carefully designed to operate based upon intimate principles and personal interaction, integrating individuals in diverse research groups with state-of-the-art systems to establish a home for world-class pharmaceutical research.

The CIDR was honored by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) through their 2021 Facility of the Year Awards program with a Special Recognition Award for Operational Agility: COVID-19 Impact.

The CIDR has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with one of their highest levels of sustainability certification, a significant achievement for this highly complex laboratory facility. The client's commitment to the environment is reflected in the project team's efforts to achieve multiple sustainability and power generation goals, including:

• Low-flow fixtures and systems reduce indoor water use by 39.25% from the annual baseline consumption of an equivalent facility – equal to 307,000 gallons of water per year.
• Innovative exterior irrigation technologies deliver a 75% reduction in outdoor potable water use – equal to an annual reduction of 111,051 gallons.
• Specialty lighting fixtures throughout the CIDR reduce energy costs by 13.2%.
• A 470 kW photovoltaic system installed on the adjacent parking garage offsets electrical usage by 737,875 kWh per year.