Design Forecast 2016

Gensler Design Forecast 2016
Life Sciences
Blurring the lines,
emulating tech
Precision medicine—therapies that consider
patients’ genetic and physiological traits
by integrating new diagnostic and treatment
tools—is reshaping the field and its facilities,
blurring the lines between life sciences and
healthcare. As smart devices link precision
medicine to patient-consumers, artificial
intelligence will handle a growing number of
lab procedures. Lab settings are also being
transformed by ever-smaller equipment.
These ultra-flexible spaces can be collocated
with non-lab functions to support teamwork
and speed development and execution.
startups, and innovation centers to get R&D
to market faster. Interdisciplinary “matrix
teams” are emerging, with combinations of
real/virtual and insider/outsider participation.
In addition, life sciences companies are
gravitating toward the mixed-use “science
villages” that can be found in life sciences
hubs in the US and the UK, as well as in
Singapore. They are a focus of investment in
other East Asian countries and in the Middle
East, often in conjunction with universities.
opposite: Pfizer, Tokyo
below: Alexandria Life Science, San Diego
Life sciences companies and universities
are emulating the tech sector in setting up
incubator and accelerator spaces to support
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