AstraZeneca South San Francisco Site
Situated in the biotechnology hub of the Bay Area, AstraZeneca’s South San Francisco Site’s forward-thinking, LEED Platinum-certified workplace and laboratories are designed to spur scientific discovery. The project consolidates multiple business units under a single location, seamlessly integrating laboratory, office and manufacturing spaces into a dynamic life sciences center that can adapt to rapidly changing market and organizational demands.
Embracing “Science on Display” as the overarching theme, the workplace challenges laboratory design conventions by maximizing transparency and promoting activity-based work. The ample use of glass throughout the interior improves the quality of workspaces through enhanced visual connectivity, daylighting, and openness. Furthermore, teaming spaces and plug-and-play arrangements within the laboratories encourage interaction between scientists, giving them the flexibility to adopt new equipment and processes.
To create a sense of community among distinct business units, the four-story workplace is designed as a vertical campus. A large central gathering space on each floor serves as a hub for all personnel, while shared amenities and alternative zones in between work areas were created to promote collaboration. Similarly, a multipurpose conferencing and work/lounge area on the first level enables joint activities between organizations. The facility’s egress stair was activated to enhance connective between floors and encourage physical activity among occupants.
Reflecting AstraZeneca’s commitment to becoming energy, carbon, and water neutral by 2025, the South San Francisco Site incorporates sustainable design strategies that minimize the facility’s environmental impact while enhancing user wellness. Since research facilities are traditionally resource-intensive, the design sought to create efficiencies by establishing a flexible environment of workspaces and laboratories that allow users to share facilities, equipment, and amenities. The majority of the lab equipment was brought over from previous facilities, to maximize usable life of the equipment and reduce landfill waste from the overall relocation effort. Space is further optimized by modular design and the promotion of activity-based working through open seating and collaborative spaces.
The workplace conveys AstraZeneca’s values while being grounded in its local, Silicon Valley tech culture through regionally inspired design elements, natural materials, and an eclectic mix of traditionalist and space-age furnishings. Features and finishes more often found in hospitality environments were used throughout the facility, resulting in a workplace with a tech start-up/coffeehouse feel. Graphic details of the Bay Area’s natural features establish the workplace’s regional identity and enhance occupant wellbeing.
Through the optimization of space and the integration of technology, branding, and hospitality, AstraZeneca’s research and manufacturing hub serves as one of the firm’s most progressive workplaces, enabling the firm to attract and retain the finest talent in the Bay Area.