SmartLabs at 2 Tower Place

Overlooking the life science cluster of Oyster Point and San Francisco Bay stands 2 Tower Place. Originally an office building, the tower’s 14th to 17th floors have been redesigned as labs to serve as the first west coast location of SmartLabs, a lab space provider and operator.

The new space in South San Francisco, CA is tailored to the SmartLabs business model, providing flexible, reconfigurable lab spaces that meet the specific research needs of multiple tenants of varying sizes and disciplines. With its state-of-the-art labs, community spaces, and commanding views of the Bay, SmartLabs at 2 Tower Place offers an inspiring setting for the Bay Area’s most promising life science start-ups to accelerate their growth.

The design integrates the SmartLabs trademark “kit-of-parts”.

Originally developed by SMMA for the company’s New England locations, the kit-of-parts helps SmartLabs offer a versatile mix of move-in-ready labs on shorter leases. This allows entrepreneurs and scientists to focus on scientific discovery from day one. Employees may occupy a single bench or a lab designed for 100 researchers.

The office tower’s curved floorplan posed a challenge to SMMA’s designers.

By creating several 3D digital models, the team found ways to align the modular layout of SmartLabs lab spaces with the building’s unusual dimensions. These models gave SmartLabs a more precise visual understanding of their new space. They included multiple options for labs and intricate spaces such as tissue culture rooms, glass wash spaces, and an autoclave.

Carefully designed MEP systems overcome the building’s low floor-to-ceiling heights.

SMMA’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing teams worked in tandem to weave a complex network of cable trays, process pipes, and supply and exhaust ducts through the awkwardly tight plenum spaces. This was supported by clash detection tools provided by SMMA’s digital practices team. The resulting design meets the intense energy demands of the building’s new lab program within the constraints of an office core and shell.