Cancer Diagnostics Company Moves into Pegasus Park’s Largest Spec Lab Suite
Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park is a 135,000-square-foot biotech hub in Dallas, providing state-of-the-art lab and office space for emerging and established life sciences companies. Image: © 2024 Mauricio Rojas
Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park, North Texas’ first institutional-quality laboratory space, has welcomed cancer diagnostics biotechnology company Universal DX as a new tenant. Universal DX will occupy 8,021 square feet in the facility’s largest spec suite.
Pegasus Park is a 26-acre campus in Dallas, offering state-of-the-art office and laboratory spaces to support life sciences organizations in advancing science and public health. There are over 20 biotech companies, life sciences accelerator programs, universities, and nonprofit and social impact agencies housed at the campus. Last year, it was selected as the location for the Customer Experience Hub of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a $3 billion federal agency committed to driving transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs.
Recently launched, Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park is meeting the region’s increasing demand as a dynamic biotech hub. The facility is comprised of 135,000 square feet of newly developed laboratory and office space, designed to support both emerging and established biotech companies. The campus offers shell laboratory space and spec suites ranging from 4,592 to 8,021 square feet, with 46 percent of the space currently leased. Also on the Pegasus Park campus is BioLabs Pegasus Park, a state-of-the-art incubator laboratory and office facility for startup life sciences companies.
The project team included Montgomery Street Partners and J. Small Investments (co-developers), Perkins&Will (architect), Swinerton (contractor), Kimley-Horn (civil engineer), WSP (MEP engineer), Project Management Advisors (project management support), and JLL (leasing agent).
Lab Design News spoke to Grant Dziuda, PE, vice president-development at Montgomery Street Partners about the design of the lab spaces at Pegasus Park, and how the facility accommodates both startups and established biotech companies.
Q: What were the primary design objectives for the largest spec suite now occupied by Universal DX, and how were they achieved?
A: All four of the spec suites within Bridge Labs were designed to achieve maximum flexibility and versatile functionality in a traditional 60/40 lab to office split that most emerging start-ups are looking for.
Q: How did the design and construction of Bridge Labs balance flexibility for both emerging startups and established biotech companies?
Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park was designed with flexible lab and office spaces to support both emerging startups and established biotech companies. Image: © 2024 RW Collective LLC
A: The spec suites were catered to smaller companies graduating from incubator space and looking to take the next step in their growth trajectory. Basic needs of robust mechanical systems and lab plumbing is provided so companies of any size can step into the space and quickly get to work. The shell provides significant base building infrastructure through common MEP systems, increased structural capacity, and shared common spaces catered to the functional needs of a science company.
Q: What specific features or systems were included to make the laboratory spaces "institutional-quality"?
A: Enhanced HVAC air changes, dedicated Exhaust air systems, plumbed gas utilities, water quality enhancements, structural capacity for loading, backup power, and redundant power are some of the key elements that puts this property on par with standard lab building products in the core markets of Boston or San Francisco.
Q: How were sustainability and energy efficiency incorporated into the design of the laboratory and office space?
A: Our architecture team, with the assistance from their in-house sustainability experts, took a thoughtful approach to how materials were selected and sourced to achieve some team sustainability goals and appealing end product. From the MEP front, the team incorporated a condensate recovery system, energy efficient fixtures, and building automation optimizations to name a few implementations.
Q: What challenges were encountered in designing and constructing a facility to meet the unique needs of biotech tenants, and how were they addressed?
A: Designing a new lab building for the future is a constantly evolving science in order to keep up with the demands of tomorrow, and delivering this type of product for the first time in Dallas brought many unique challenges. We leveraged out-of-market resources from both Perkins&Will and Project Management Advisors to help bring new perspectives from what they are actively seeing in the core markets.
The design of Bridge Labs had many evolutions. What initially started as two independent structures ultimately ended as a renovation of one and a demo and replacement of the other. There are always surprises when renovating older buildings, and this structure raised many new findings that did not follow the as-builts we had on hand. It was truly a collaborative effort to identify, discuss, coordinate, and execute the best path forward and keep the aggressive schedule.
Q: Can you elaborate on the role of BioLabs Pegasus Park within the campus and how its design complements Bridge Labs?
Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park was designed in collaboration with industry experts to offer state-of-the-art lab spaces, attracting biotech leaders like Universal DX. Image: © 2024 RW Collective LLC
A: BioLabs Pegasus Park is a startup community on the Pegasus Park campus featuring co-working lab and office space. Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park provides companies with a scale-up fully built-out graduation space and individual private lab/office suites for companies aging out of BioLabs Pegasus Park.
Q: What inspired the aesthetic and functional layout of the entire Pegasus Park campus, and how does it cater to the life sciences community?
A: Pegasus Park is a future-focused campus designed to promote collaboration, cross-creativity and entrepreneurship for innovative companies and organizations across science, technology, healthcare and social impact. The location of the campus, between the Dallas Design District and the Southwestern Medical District, offers a central location for networking and facilitates the convergence of entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
Q: Were there any specific collaborations or partnerships with biotech firms during the design and construction phases to ensure the facility meets industry needs?
A: Our design team led by Perkins&Will and project manager with Project Management Advisors provided an invaluable partnership from not only the direct team, but also resources and prior project experience they brought to the table. BioLabs was a key collaborator throughout the design development leveraging their experience and expertise to help make Bridge Labs another campus success.
Q: What innovations in laboratory design were implemented to attract a global leader like Universal DX to the Pegasus Park campus?
A: Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park features unparalleled laboratory space with best-in-class specifications, including upgraded power, backup generator capacity, HVAC and gas service, state-of-the-art amenities, shared spaces and equipment, and prebuilt laboratory suites that provide the tools and flexible space life science companies need. The space offered the necessary infrastructure in which Universal DX could immediately step into while also providing them space to grow as their business expands. The campus, community, and “feel” of being a part of Pegasus Park is truly intangible that can only be experienced through a visit.
