Spark Therapeutics’ decision to lay off 337 employees—nearly half its workforce—could inject thousands of square feet of lab space into an already saturated University City market. One prominent landlord is even marketing lab space to office tenants due to the oversupply. The layoffs span Spark’s locations at the Cira Centre (2929 Arch St.), the Bulletin… Read more »
Mayor Cherelle Parker announced that the city’s new forensics lab will be housed at University Place 3.0, a largely vacant life sciences building since its completion in mid-2023. Parker allocated $67 million for the lab over five years (FY 2026–2030) as part of her $6.7 billion budget proposal, which requires City Council approval. The city’s… Read more »
Facing 80,000 square feet of vacant space at 3711 Market St., Wexford Science & Technology is committing $28.5 million to renovate the University City property and strengthen its position in Philadelphia’s life sciences sector. Renovations on the 16-year-old, 10-story, 150,000-square-foot building are set to begin in early 2025 and finish by year-end. With occupancy currently… Read more »
The City of Philadelphia is negotiating to establish the police department’s new forensics lab at University Place 3.0, sources say. The eight-story, 250,000-square-foot life sciences building at 4101 Market St., completed in mid-2023, has remained mostly vacant. Currently, Fulton Bank operates a branch on the ground floor, and a Southern seafood fusion restaurant is planned…. Read more »
Spark Therapeutics officially broke ground Tuesday on its $575 million Gene Therapy Innovation Center in University City — a project that will double the company’s physical footprint in Philadelphia. The more than 500,000-square-foot, six-story building at 30th and Chestnut streets on Drexel University’s campus is being designed to serve as the global gene therapy manufacturing… Read more »
The life sciences industry is growing rapidly in Greater Philadelphia, and projects like Schuylkill Yards, developments like One uCity Square, hubs like the University City Science Center and companies like Spark Therapeutics have helped put University City at the center of the accompanying development boom. University City neighbors Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania are also… Read more »
SmartLabs, an operator of life sciences labs, vivarium and manufacturing spaces, has leased two floors totaling 117,000 square feet at a proposed new building in University City. Philadelphia will serve as the third city SmartLabs will have a presence, underscoring the strength of the city’s burgeoning life sciences scene. SmartLabs maintains a presence in Boston… Read more »
Century Therapeutics Inc. has expanded the amount of space it will occupy at One uCity Square to 90,000 square feet. The fast-growing company initially signed in 2020 to take a single floor totaling 32,500 square feet in the building in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia. Century will now occupy space across the top three floors of… Read more »
University City Science Center Board Chairman Mike DiPiano draws a parallel between his organization and Motown. Before the storied music label could start pumping out chart-topping hits, founder Berry Gordy had to build out a physical space to house offices and recording studios. Since its founding in 1963, the Science Center has worked to establish a similar… Read more »
One of the Philadelphia region’s oldest biotechnology companies is doubling its footprint, and its workforce, in the city. Integral Molecular began construction this week on its new 50,000-square scientific and operational headquarters at One uCity Square that will allow the company to expand to 200 employees over the next few years. Founded in 2001, Integral… Read more »
