BioLegend Campus

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen

BIOLEGEND CAMPUS

Delawie

ARCHITECTS
Delawie

CLIENT
Biolegend, Incorporated Architecture & Design

MANUFACTURERS
Autodesk, Equitone, Mosa, Armstrong Ceilings, Interface, Novum Structures, Shaw,
Arcadia Custom, Hunter Douglas, Trimble Navigation

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Delawie

LANDSCAPE
Schmidt Design Group

CIVIL ENGINEERING
San Dieguito Engineering Incorporated

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Coffman Engineers

MEP ENGINEERING
Dec Engineers

COLLABORATORS
Hughes Marino

AREA
395000 Ft²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
San Diego, United States

CATEGORY
Laboratory, Office Buildings

Text description provided by architect.

BioLegend’s new campus blends the bold and iconic with fluid, organic design. The project started with Master Planning efforts that outlined a four year strategic plan to privatize a public street and convert the existing 7.5-acre, 4-parcel plot of land into an 8-acre biotechnology campus. Master Planning started in September of 2015 and the entire Campus Project finished February 28th, 2019.

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen

The completed Campus includes over 150,000 SF of lab space, over 80,000 SF of office and amenity space, over 200,000 SF of site improvements, a new 7-story, 700-stall parking garage with photovoltaic panels, a pedestrian bridge, 500-person multi-purpose room, a full commercial kitchen, yoga studio and gym and a fully automated OPEX Perfect Pick order fulfillment center.

A 70-foot tall orthogonal atrium is visible from all points of campus and surrounding streets. Its interior is flooded with natural light and acts as a beacon, drawing its inhabitants into the main building where employees interact with the architecture in different ways on each floor.

BioLegend Campus
© Alex Baltov
BioLegend Campus
© Alex Baltov

The atrium’s transparency maintains a connection to the encircling campus buildings and green roof while providing private collaboration and casual breakout spaces.

The expansive green roof looks out over the central courtyard space and visually masks the presence of a large 500-person multi-purpose room built off the main building. Natural materials like wood, concrete, and glass provide a natural, tactile experience for employees.

BioLegend Campus
© Alex Baltov
BioLegend Campus
© Alex Baltov

In these spaces native and drought-resistance plants establish a connection to nature where mature trees and boulders create cool, shaded areas for employees to enjoy a pleasantly insulated experience.

BioLegend’s design is steeped in symbolic references to the company’s heritage and mission.

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen

The “Y”-like structure of antibodies can be seen in the trellis in the courtyard and the supports of the bridge that connects the administration building to the central lab atrium, and even in shape of the new building itself.

In the multipurpose room off the main building, the carpet was designed to resemble the mottled colors of cells dyed for analysis.

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen

The colors used here and throughout the campus as a way-finding technique and is a nod to BioLegend’s signature combinatorial color-coding system used in their experiments.

The office space is welcoming and encourages collaboration but also offers workstations and private rooms for focused efforts.

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen

The labs focus on cross-functionality to increase efficiency between departments. Specifically, within the new four-story building, the lab space features open floor plans and creative office space to encourage collaboration.

Labs, offices, break rooms and conference rooms are strategically placed to enable scientists to focus on science so that one day a cure for cancer, Parkinson’s, or other diseases can be discovered, thanks in part to BioLegend.

BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen


BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen
BioLegend Campus
© Stephen Whalen


BioLegend Campus
Section A

BioLegend Campus
Section B


BioLegend Campus
South Elevation
BioLegend Campus
West Elevation


BioLegend Campus
First Floor Plan
BioLegend Campus
Second Floor Plan
BioLegend Campus
Third Floor Plan
BioLegend Campus
Fourth Floor Plan

BioLegend Campus
Site Plan