Skip Navigation
Skip to Menu Toggle Button
Insight

When Labs Activate on Time, Science Moves Forward

When a new therapy is on the brink of changing lives, the last thing anyone wants is for the science to be ready… but the facility to be the bottleneck. We’ve seen how delays in activating complex laboratory spaces ripple far beyond construction schedules. They stall discoveries, frustrate researchers, and push out the timelines executives have promised investors, partners, and patients. 

In other words, when a lab isn’t fully activated on time, science itself is put on hold. 

The Hidden Challenge 

What often surprises life science leaders is that the greatest risk isn’t in the build itself. It’s in what comes after: activation. Bringing a lab from “substantial completion” to “fully operational” is where hidden obstacles show up. 

  • Regulatory compliance issues are discovered too late.
  • HVAC, power, or water systems are unable to keep up with the real-world demands of sensitive equipment. 
  • Commissioning processes may drag on, creating costly delays.  

These aren’t minor inconveniences. For scientists, it means experiments interrupted and data lost. For executives, it means longer timelines to market. For facilities managers, it means explaining why a multimillion-dollar asset still can’t be used. 

A Smarter Way Forward 

The good news? These challenges can be anticipated and mitigated if addressed early.

At Mortenson, we’ve learned a few lessons from decades of life sciences projects: 

  • Bring regulators in early. On a recent cleanroom project, we engaged FDA experts at the design stage. It meant adjustments up front — but activation went smoothly because compliance was never in doubt
  • Design with real-world science in mind. Our virtual design and construction tools let us test airflow, vibration, and system performance before a single wall went up. That saved weeks of rework at facilities like Two Discovery Square. 
  • Balance speed with scalability. Life science moves fast. A lab that works today must also adapt tomorrow. Facilities like Boston Scientific and Fairview Research Center remind us that flexibility built in on day one pays dividends when research pivots. 

Questions Leaders Should Be Asking 

I’ve found the best life science executives and facilities managers don’t just ask, “Can we build it?” They ask: 

  • “Are our facilities aligned with our science roadmap?”
  • “What risks to activation might be hidden in our plan today?”
  • “Do we have the right partners anticipating challenges before we see them?”

If those questions give you pause, you’re not alone. Many of the most innovative organizations in our industry are wrestling with them right now. 

Moving Forward Together

I believe that building for life sciences is about more than walls, systems, or even compliance. It’s about ensuring science itself can advance without interruption. 

That’s why Mortenson has invested so heavily in design-phase expertise, virtual modeling, and the ability to deliver the most complex MEP systems in our market. Because when activation goes right, breakthroughs reach patients faster. 

Successful activation is a result of anticipating risks, designing with precision, and aligning facilities with the science they serve. Mortenson’s integrated approach, from design-phase modeling to MEP delivery, equips organizations to transition from construction to operation with speed and certainty. That way, research teams can focus on what matters most: advancing science.