This spring was the ribbon cutting and official opening of MBI’s new incubator lab and collaboration space at 17 Briden Street, Worcester MA. As a part of the city of Worcester’s biomanufacturing initiative for expanding their medical presence in central Massachusetts, this renovation project targets the growing presence of biomedical start-up companies within the area. Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) business model and incubator strategies have sought to provide the resources and environments for companies looking to grow and move into the private market. In collaboration with Consigli Construction Group and Leftfield managing corporation, LAB was asked to confront the challenges involved in updating this 1920s masonry and timber frame building to support MBI’s vision. Close collaboration between the architects, engineers, construction and management teams ensured both design and budget constraints were met. A thorough analysis of the building allowed us to identify areas of improvement according to modern day code constraints and to ensure that the proper infrastructure for the new space was laid out and accounted for. Designed around MBI’s lab incubator model, the layout consists of modular lab spaces ranging from 150 sqft to 1,500 sqft, shared facilities for sanitization/ examination and group collaboration and office spaces. The renovated space are divided into two main research groups, the MBI StartUp Center and the MBI ScaleUp Center. Located on two separate floors, these spaces offer the resources needed to foster early stage companies in the StartUp Center, and allow companies to progress into the ScaleUp Center as the they mature towards private market growth. Through a design that pays homage to the original structure of the building, the two areas can be distinguished through their use of color and programmatic layout. As the space opens to the public, MBI’s incubator labs have already gained traction among the life sciences and healthcare innovation companies in the region. Promising companies such as research involving the ongoing COVID pandemic have placed in their bids and are mobilizing to being their research. Learn more about the project here. – Carlton Smith, Designer
