Burlington, MA Brennan Consulting, Inc. added three new properties to their life science portfolio. The WBE consulting firm is providing state-of-the-art technology in preconstruction and construction survey services such as layout for piles, foundation, anchor bolts, steel framing and curtainwalls, as well as certified as-builts in medtech, pharma and the new fusion energy sector. A portfolio spotlight:

290 Binney St., Cambridge: Opening in 2026, 290 Binney St. will be one of the newest life science products to come online in Kendall Sq. where tech, R&D, MIT and Mass General are underway on new builds and repurposing dated structures. Designed as a 566,000 s/f, 18-story R&D building, with parking for 1,580 in the eight-story underground garage for both 290 and 250 Binney, the 290 tower is part of the MXD Substation Development Plan. Demo of the existing six-story Blue Garage began in February 2023, finished in April, and slurry wall construction is underway. Delivery of the building is expected mid-2026 and on-site amenities include bike valet, long-term storage and an improved pedestrian experience with connections to Binney, Broadway and Galileo Galilei Way. AstraZeneca pre-leased 100% of the property for its R&D Facility for 15 years. 

Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Devens: To bring clean fusion energy technology to the globe, Commonwealth Fusion Systems is teamed with MIT on a 47-acre energy campus in Devens. The development includes five total buildings, two for Commonwealth Fusion; a two-story, 160,000 s/f manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters, and the SPARC facility which houses a compact tokamak fusion device and production capability. The SPARC also contains all operational, monitoring and maintenance capabilities for the device. Full completion is anticipated for 2025 and it is being hailed as one of the most important energy sector projects for Mass. intended to grow a new clean energy industry. Brennan performed additional high precision layout and as-builts for concrete and anchor bolts for the tokamak as part of their state-of-the-art construction services. 

Kempner Institute Harvard University, Allston: The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence for Harvard University just opened in Allston. On the sixth floor of Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), Kempner recently welcomed its first group of graduate students to a brand-new academic machine learning cluster, one of the largest in the world. SEC is a 500,000 s/f, six floor research and development facility including labs, research, maker and gathering spaces indoor and out. Kempner’s programming includes 30,000 s/f of cross disciplinary think spaces for researchers on-site, additional programming throughout Harvard’s campus and lofty goals including curing all disease by the end of this century. Both LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge Petal Certified, SEC is one of the most energy efficient and sustainable laboratories in the world. Nearby is Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus which just broke ground, the Harvard Business School, Harvard DEF and the Mass Pike. 

Project Bruins, Bedford: Sarepta Therapeutics, headquartered in Cambridge, entered into a 15-year lease agreement for the renovated three-story, 288,000 s/f, Bedford Labs research, development and manufacturing facility. Breaking through the barriers of floor loading and plate spacing, floor to floor heights, electrical and HVAC demands, and with a cost of $82 million to the developer, this project is one of the success stories in office conversions. Project Bruins is on a 52-acre campus, with amenities such as a fitness center, cafeteria, outdoor courtyards and is situated in the growing Bedford cluster in proximity to 128. The consolidation of existing lab and office space will support Phase I and II clinical manufacturing in gene therapy and centralize operations for Sarepta. 

Life science projects underway at Brennan also include 2 Harbor St. Boston; UMass Science Building, Amherst; Westford Antennae at the Haystack Observatory, Westford; Mass General Hospital Cambridge St., Boston; and Analog Devices, Chelmsford. 

Sources: CBRE, Cambridge Redev. Authority, JLL, Colliers, Turner Construction, Harvard.edu, The Crimson and MassBIO.