Promega Corporation, Kornberg Center

Project Details

Project Description

Promega Corporation is an international biotechnology company serving life science research and applications with values in long-term planning, creative thinking, attention to detail, flexibility, and transformational development. The 280,000-square-foot Kornberg Center research and development facility is named for the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Arthur Kornberg. Designed by SmithGroup and Ramlow/Stein, the Kornberg Center advances research capacity and capability in creating tools and technologies that support most novel methods and techniques in research, drug development, forensic science, clinical and molecular diagnostics, and applied testing. Nestled into a clearing and surrounded by woodlands, the design takes inspiration from nature, scientific workflow, and a people-centric business approach that facilitates leading-edge scientific discovery.

Promega’s culture embraces the principles of well-being and emotional and social intelligence to help employees flourish by improving relationships, managing stress, and enhancing connections. The organization’s Emotional and Social Intelligence program includes both 1:1 and group coaching, daily guided meditations, trainings, and boot camps as a company-wide initiative. To empower their employees and the company’s growth, the building is designed to nurture innovation, collaboration, creative thinking, and personal development.

The new workspace at Promega reflects its inclusive, collaborative culture by placing people at the core and creating a distinctive environment that inspires invention. The labs at Promega allow access to natural light and views into a sunny atrium filled with natural plantings, water features, and original art, creating an environment that supports personal wellbeing. To ensure that Promega is prepared for an unknown future, 30% of the overall laboratory square footage is “frontier space,” set aside for innovation and exploration of new technologies that are yet to be imagined. To inspire employees during their workday, unique art pieces are integrated throughout the building.

Scientists have ready access to lab tools and equipment that remove barriers and help speed research. With lab space effectively doubled from the company’s existing lab space, Promega scientists are offered optimal flexibility to meet the needs of their experiments and guarantee that research is not limited by the availability of space or equipment. To inspire connection, labs have internal collaboration spaces for quick touch down discussions.

The airy atrium houses cafes and “third” spaces for employees to meet or just cross paths. Wood bridges that appear to be floating reinforce connections across departments to spark and advance novel ideas and new approaches. In addition, employees have varied opportunities to refresh throughout the day, including a new cafeteria that serves fresh, locally grown food; an onsite garden; a gymnasium; and a sound therapy studio.