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Life science construction has a bright future, even as the way these projects are built is evolving.
That’s according to Raj Vora, lead market leader for life sciences at DPR Construction, who has spent nearly nine years at the Redwood City, Calif.-based company and more than two decades in the AEC industry. Vora has worked on several life science projects, focusing on manufacturing, cell and gene therapy, biocontainment and vivarium facilities.
Raj Vora
Permission granted by DPR
The life sciences segment constitutes 20% of DPR revenue and the firm remains optimistic about the sector, despite some cooling of the construction boom that followed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here, Vora talks to Construction Dive about which life sciences sectors are poised for growth, the impact of AI, and changing project delivery methods.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Immersion in CONSTRUCTION: There have been some signs of the life sciences construction slows down down last year. How do you feel about the sector?
Raj Vora: Quite the opposite, large-scale manufacturing is on the rise globally. If anything has slowed, it’s the developer-led tenant lab market where vacancy rates continue to rise.
Where do you see the closest growth in the near future?
In the short term, the manufacturing capacity of weight loss drugs will be increased, as this market is growing exponentially. I also believe that compounding pharmacies will step up to help alleviate the rising costs associated with brand name drugs.
How have you seen the life sciences construction industry change over your career?
Finances are getting tighter: When I started, the money in the industry was being spent like it was endless, as biotech was growing at an intense pace.
Also, almost all projects were design-bid-build, but now trending more and more towards EPCM and design-build deliverables.
The other major trend is that many consulting engineering or A/E firms have moved from pure design houses to now having a construction arm in hopes of providing full-service turnkey solutions.
What technological trends are shaping the sector the most?
We can’t talk about technology without talking about AI. I just read an article about how AI is being used in cleanrooms for predictive maintenance.
AI will continue to grow in the industry from design and construction to owner operations. It will be interesting to see which jobs remain human versus AI based.
Tell us about a life science project you worked on that you’re particularly proud of.
I am proud of the Human Genome Sciences Large-Scale Manufacturing Project in Rockville, Maryland, which consisted of bioreactors used for the production of monoclonal antibodies. This greenfield project went from groundbreaking to batch execution in 24 months, both under budget and ahead of schedule.
It was the most challenging yet exciting bulk manufacturing project I have ever worked on. As this was bulk manufacturing, there were significant miles of sanitary piping along with associated process equipment including seed trains, media and buffer tanks, water for injection and clean steam, diafiltration and tangential flow filter pads , centrifuges and ethanol-based chromatography.
The design, construction and owner teams had great relationships, so morale during the project was always high, making the project an enjoyable success.
