Life sciences real estate developer Breakthrough Properties (Breakthrough) recently announced the completion and grand opening of The 105 — the newest state-of-the-art addition to one of the world’s largest life sciences clusters. The 105 is located in the Boston Seaport Innovation District and is fully leased to CRISPR Therapeutics to serve as the company’s new U.S. research and development headquarters.

Incorporating 263,000 square feet of Boston office space and laboratory facilities, The 105 was created to meet LEED Gold and Fitwell Certification standards. The ground floor was designed to accommodate a wide range of community activities and includes a multi-use innovation space, a thruway for public foot traffic, and a publicly accessible café. Additionally, the property features spacious, lab-enabled floorplates of nearly 39,000 square feet; floor-to-ceiling glass; several outdoor terraces, including a rooftop; a fitness center; and an indoor bicycle room.

“The opening of our new U.S. headquarters marks a significant milestone for our company and underscores our long-term commitment to advancing biomedical innovation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Chief Financial Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, Brendan Smith. “The 105 by Breakthrough is an ideal facility for CRISPR Therapeutics as we advance potentially transformative gene-based treatments for patients, and we are pleased to call it home for our Boston-based employees.”

Breakthrough CEO, Dan Belldegrun, added: “We are delighted to celebrate the opening of The 105 by Breakthrough with the CRISPR Therapeutics team. We’re honored to support such transformational research like the work being done by CRISPR Therapeutics and look forward to being a long-term supporting partner as they advance their critical work.”

Since its founding in 2019 as a life sciences arm of Tishman Speyer and Bellco Capital, Breakthrough Properties has become one of the most active names in the life sciences sector. The developer currently has projects totaling roughly 5 million square feet in its pipeline in markets including San Diego, Philadelphia, and Boulder, Colo.

In Boston, Breakthrough is also working on One Canal, the Enterprise Research Campus, and the former Gillette world headquarters:

  • One Canal by Breakthrough is a four-story lab and office redevelopment totaling more than 100,000 square feet of Cambridge office space. The project can accommodate up to 112,000 square feet of research and development spaces for use by either a single tenant or multiple tenants. Estimated to be ready for occupancy in 2023, One Canal connects to the heart of the Kendall Square life sciences cluster through the First Street corridor and is easily accessible via the Lechmere Green Line.
  • Breakthrough leads the design and development of several elements within the Enterprise Research Campus — a 14-acre North Boston project that Tishman Speyer is developing in partnership with the Harvard Allston Land Company. Breakthrough’s contributions to the master-planned campus include premium Allston office space optimized for research and development, as well as a conference center; a hotel; retail and dining spaces; and residential options.
  • Down the street from The 105, Breakthrough and Tishman Speyer are in the planning stages of a ground-up development at 232 A St. on a portion of Gillette’s former world headquarters. Plans reportedly include making the waterfront more accessible, while also collaborating with the city on its Climate Ready Boston project to help strengthen the low-lying South Boston area against future sea level rise. Specifically, the Resilient Fort Point Channel Infrastructure Project calls for the construction of a 2,000-linear-foot mixed berm and floodwall mitigation structure along a portion of the Fort Point Channel’s southeast shoreline, along with the installation of three interim flood protection barriers. When purchasing the A Street parcel from Procter & Gamble last year, Breakthrough agreed to grant the city of Boston an easement for building the berm.

“We are proud to partner with Breakthrough and CRISPR Therapeutics on The 105, which is already setting new standards for cutting-edge research environments,” said Jessica Hughes, Tishman Speyer managing director. “As with our entire Boston portfolio, The 105 responds to the intense demand throughout the life sciences community to locate in dynamic, amenity-rich neighborhoods that attract today’s top talent.”

Indeed, strong demand from life sciences sectors during recent years has been a positive force across office markets nationwide, as noted by CommercialEdge analysts in the September national office report. Outside of established life sciences clusters like Boston, the pandemic biotech boost has also benefited secondary markets, as well as influenced life sciences companies to expand where new talent is and start creating entirely new clusters. To that end, other ongoing Breakthrough Properties developments include:

  • Boulder 38 by Breakthrough in Boulder, Colo.
  • 2300 Market St., a redevelopment that aims to create more than 200,000 square feet of Center City Philadelphia office space dedicated to activity in life sciences sectors
  • The Torrey View campus and the Torrey Plaza office-to-lab conversion in San Diego, Calif.
  • The Vitrum Building at St. John’s Innovation Park in Cambridge, England