Alexandria Real Estate holds grand opening of 225 Binney Street

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. along with executives and employees from client tenant Biogen Idec Inc., mayor David Maher, members of the media, and luminaries from the local life science community, came together to celebrate the grand opening and dedication of 225 Binney St., Biogen Idec's new corporate headquarters at the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq. Guests, including members of Greater Boston's life science and political communities, joined Alexandria's senior management to celebrate the official move-in of Biogen Idec into Alexandria's first completed development at the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq. Roughly 1,200 employees have relocated from Biogen Idec's former Weston, MA headquarters to the life science cluster ecosystem in Kendall Sq., where the largest biotech company based in Massachusetts has leased 306,000 s/f of high-quality life science space at 225 Binney St. In addition to celebrating the official move-in, Biogen Idec's first-ever building dedication was awarded to Nobel Prize winner and Biogen Idec co-founder and former chief executive officer Phillip Sharp, who was honored for his leadership and impact on life science during his remarkable career. Attendees also received the first glimpse of the new interactive exhibit located in the lobby of 225 Binney St. The exhibit, which is visible from the outside of the facility and open to the general public, features highly unique, audio and visual components and is set up like a mini-museum about the history of Biogen Idec. 225 Binney St., which was delivered in October 2013 and is LEED Silver-certified, is the first completed ground-up development in Alexandria's 1.4 million s/f world-class science park, the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq. Alexandria is currently constructing the second development at the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq., 75/125 Binney St., which is fully leased to Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Located in epicenter of Kendall Sq., hailed as the most innovative square mile on the planet, the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq. is the city's newest destination for innovation, collaboration, and the translation of breakthrough discoveries into high-impact, cost-effective products that will save lives, manage disease, and reduce the economic burden of disease on society. With a plethora of class A facilities and collaborative amenities at the Alexandria Center at Kendall Sq., including a two-acre landscaped park, restaurants from the area's top chefs, meeting and event spaces with leadership curated by Alexandria, high-quality hotels, and innovative wellness centers, the science park will provide leading life science entities with a unique opportunity to drive productivity, accelerate innovation, and recruit and retain the brightest scientific minds. Alexandria is the dominant life science owner and operator in the Greater Boston cluster with 4.3 million s/f of high-quality laboratory/office space (including development and redevelopment assets) located adjacent to world-renowned academic and medical institutions. Alexandria currently serves approximately 100 high-quality life science client tenants in the Greater Boston cluster.