Choose a partner with proven experience in regulated, high-performance environments and an integrated team that runs design and construction together. That experience is what tells you how early build decisions will affect validation, commissioning, and operations later. Mortenson has delivered that range, from the The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) to the NREL Research and Innovation Laboratory.
Building the research environments that advance discovery.
Mortenson is a life sciences design-builder partner, delivering complex, regulated facilities faster and with greater confidence—creating environments that enable scientific advancement and improve patient outcomes.
Research facility construction, laboratory planning and design, and innovative technology spaces present unique challenges due to their complexity, technical requirements, and rapidly evolving needs. Whether you’re building new or modernizing existing space, we help align design, cost, and construction early to reduce risk, accelerate delivery, and protect your investment every step of the way.
Research & Development Construction Project Solutions
Biocontainment + High-Security Labs
Sensitive research demands facilities that prioritize safety, security, and operational reliability. Mortenson delivers high-containment laboratories and mission-critical research environments designed to support the most demanding scientific work.
Laboratory Renovation + Facility Modernization
Research organizations often need to expand capacity, modernize infrastructure, or upgrade aging facilities while maintaining ongoing operations. Mortenson can minimize disruption through strategic renovations and phased delivery approaches.
Cleanroom + Controlled Environments
Advanced manufacturing and research environments require precise, contamination-controlled environments. Mortenson delivers highly technical cleanrooms and controlled spaces that support innovation, quality, and operational performance.
Research Facilities
From academic and federal research institutions to innovation districts and corporate research and development hubs, Mortenson delivers spaces from that support discovery, collaboration, and evolving organizational needs.
Laboratory Facilities
Successful laboratory environments require seamless coordination across users, designers, builders, equipment vendors, and facility teams. Mortenson translates complex laboratory planning into safe, efficient, and buildable solutions.
Pilot-Scale + Translational Research Facilities
Bridging discovery and development requires flexible environments that can adapt as research advances. Mortenson delivers pilot-scale environments that support testing, prototyping, and scale-up with confidence.
© Design Architect: Perkins and Will | Photography: James Steinkamp
Benefits of Working with Mortenson
Research Facility Projects Require a Different Approach
Life science research districts have evolved into knowledge economies focused on innovation and cross-collaboration creating a live-work-play environment that attracts and retains talent. Mortenson’s extensive experience in constructing research laboratories and specialized facilities ensures your project is built for today’s needs and adaptable for what the future may hold.
The DNA of this building and Discovery Square is the innovation, collaboration and translation of science and discovery…Where else could you stand and say we are here to revolutionize medicine to change history?
David Mortenson
Chairman, Mortenson
Research + Development Planning & Delivery Resources
The success of a research facility starts long before construction begins. Explore resources that can help you evaluate opportunities, align stakeholders, and move forward with greater certainty.
Research + Development Facility Construction FAQs
Biocontainment labs carry containment, redundancy, and validation demands that standard labs do not. That raises the stakes on sequencing and commissioning, so it takes a builder who has done it before. Mortenson built the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a federal campus with BSL-4 containment engineered to withstand tornadoes and blast forces.
There is no single best method. It should match the project, and what matters most is aligning design, cost, and construction early so risk drops and the facility reaches activation faster. Mortenson uses design-build when speed and single-team accountability matter, like the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, and high-security work like The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas.
Yes, with careful phasing and a partner who plans around live operations. The work gets sequenced, so research or production keeps running while the build happens around it. Mortenson has expanded cleanrooms and utility capacity on an operating semiconductor campus in Oregon, coordinating with the customer's production teams so output kept running.