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Office-to-lab repositioning in top biotech market

Located in Maryland's I-270 corridor, an office asset repositioning for lab use reimagines this underutilized building to attract prospective life sciences tenants.

Location

Rockville, Maryland

Key Partners

  • HOK
  • Vanderweil

Awards & Certifications

LEED v4 C&S Silver

Client

Longfellow Real Estate Partners

Project Type

Life Sciences

Repositioning

Tenant Fit-out

 

All photos courtesy of Longfellow Real Estate Partners

LongFormInner_OnePreserve_Details
By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers

$28,060,000

CONTRACT VALUE

13 months

SCHEDULE

153,000

SQUARE FEET

2024

YEAR COMPLETED

80,000

LINEAR FEET OF PIPING

Vision Vision Vision Vision Vision

A leading life sciences developer, Longfellow Real Estate Partners acquired One Preserve Parkway to break into the growing Washington, DC region market. With HITT's prior experience and knowledge of the site, having completed an interior build-out and renovation in 2010 and 2018, HITT was selected to reposition the asset for lab use, modernizing an outmoded asset and improving building performance to support growing demand in the I-270 biotech corridor. 

Client Goals

Longfellow saw the need for market-ready lab space along the I-270 biotech corridor and acquired One Preserve Parkway to enter the DC market. Creating value from the underutilized asset by repositioning it for lab use, the state-of-the-art building offers high-quality lab space combined with industry-leading amenities and Longfellow’s hospitality program, Elevate, to ensure partners can focus on continued growth and impactful work.

Design Vision

The building features future-proof, sustainable design with robust, market-leading infrastructure for life science tenants. The high-end facility accommodates unknown future tenant specifications, focusing on end-user health and safety, sustainability, amenities, collaborative and flexible layouts, advanced air filtration, and modernized infrastructure. The neutral minimalist color palette and high-end finishes look and feel modern and efficient, while harmoniously unobtrusive and clean.

Construction Focus

The project focused on upgrading infrastructure to support future life science tenants. HITT played a pivotal role early, providing design-assist services and collaborating with HOK to keep the project within budget. Early involvement and the company's financial strength allowed HITT to pre-purchase long-lead equipment, expediting turnover. The office-to-lab conversion required careful work sequencing across more than 12 trades. At peak, nearly 130 tradespeople were on-site to meet the project delivery date.

Elements Elements Elements Elements Elements
MEP Infrastructure Upgrades for Future Tenants

The project features a state-of-the-art building management system, new fire alarm and emergency response radio system, a 500kW backup generator with emergency riser, 7,500 linear feet (LF) of conduit for emergency power, 1,550 tons of refrigeration with cooling towers and chillers, 4,800 MBH boilers with 5,200 LF of hydronic piping, 700 LF of lab gas piping, and a waste neutralization system with two 400-gallon tanks capable of processing 30 gallons per minute.

Two Pairs of New DOAS and EAHU

The team set and assembled two pairs of 71,000-cfm Ingenia Technologies direct outside air and exhaust air handling units and 80,000 tons of associated duct work with trade partner Kent Island Mechanical.

Spec Suites with Modular Casework, Fume Hoods, and Ceiling Utility Panels for Lab Gas and Power

Spec suites included 250 LF of modular casework, phenolic countertops equipped with lab gas turrets, and electrical raceways fed from overhead ceiling utility panels. To control air flow, two fume hoods and AccuValves modulated by differential pressure sensors were installed. The system was fully commissioned and tied into a new building automation system.

The HITT Experience The HITT Experience The HITT Experience The HITT Experience The HITT Experience

The HITT team established trust with the client during preconstruction by providing valuable cost savings, such as reducing high-end specifications, providing alternate manufacturers, and pre-purchasing long lead materials and equipment. During construction, pre-planning and clear communication were key to delivering a successful project repositioning.

THE HITT EXPERIENCE

“

HITT's project execution is some of the best I've seen, especially given the tight schedule and challenging scope. No matter the situation, HITT has been excellent in navigating potential issues to ensure that all milestones were met. Whether it's good news or bad, the team is always prompt in informing ownership of potential issues. What really differentiates HITT is that they always have a resolution or recommendation ready to share, which really helped minimize project risks. It's evident that HITT truly cares about the success of the project by the actions of the entire HITT team from top to bottom.”

Larry Chen

Project Manager, Longfellow Real Estate Partners

Solutions Solutions Solutions Solutions Solutions

Unique Challenges, Smart Solutions

Ambitious projects require carefully constructed solutions

Challenge #1

Unknown tenant use specifications and lab requirements

Solution

An adaptive re-use program embraced an efficient design with high-quality materials and market-leading infrastructure, including new mechanical, plumbing, acid neutralization, electrical, chemical storage, and life safety systems to handle a variety of future laboratory spaces. Two tenant fit-out spaces on Level 2 showcase potential layouts of future office and lab spaces for prospective tenants.

Challenge #2

Long equipment release, potentially delaying turnover for new tenants

Solution

Our team orchestrated early release and design assist with the architect, allowing the project to stay on schedule, turning over in time for tenant lease start dates.

Challenge #3

Installation of a new BAS system used on all the client's properties.

Solution

To meet the client's goal of installing a new system, the existing Siemens BMS was replaced with an Albireo system, and full commissioning of the new Albireo Energy GBAS was completed to comply with LEED v4 Silver requirements.

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