Two Life Science Innovators Expand Within TCC's Fulton Labs Portfolio in Chicago

Trammell Crow Company (TCC), a global commercial real estate developer, announced that two tenants at Fulton Labs, the firm’s 725,000-square-foot, two-building life science campus in Chicago, signed leases to expand their footprint within the portfolio. The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago (CZ Biohub Chicago), a biomedical research institute launched by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg's Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, signed a lease for approximately 28,200 square feet at 400 N. Aberdeen. On the same floor, Portal Innovations, an existing Fulton Labs tenant and venture accelerator, signed a lease to grow its platform at the Fulton Labs campus by 6,000 square feet to 55,000 square feet.

Upon initially signing a lease earlier this year at Fulton Labs’ campus other building 1375 W. Fulton, CZ Biohub Chicago realized the immediate need for additional space. With no further room for expansion at 1375 W. Fulton, the Biohub will instead be moving into a new turn-key space at 400 N. Aberdeen in Q1 2024 and will temporarily occupy space in a Science-Ready Lab Suite at 1375 W. Fulton. CZ Biohub’s and Portal’s space at 400 N. Aberdeen will be custom delivered, designed by ESG Architects, with lab planning by CRB Group, and construction completed by Power Construction.

“The state-of-the-art lab and administrative space offered at 400 North Aberdeen gives us much-needed flexibility as we rapidly ramp up our research operations,” said Shana Kelley, president of CZ Biohub Chicago and the Neena B. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. “Trammell Crow and their architectural, planning and construction colleagues have been skilled and nimble partners in bringing this new space to life.”

“In Illinois, we are proud to boast first-rate educational and research institutions, an ever-expanding life and biosciences ecosystem, and an exemplary workforce that is second to none,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “So, it’s no surprise that Portal Innovations and CZ Biohub Chicago have both chosen to expand their footprint here in the Land of Lincoln. I’m honored to congratulate the Trammell Crow Company, Portal Innovations, and CZ Biohub teams on this exciting new chapter—and I look forward to celebrating these projects’ completion come 2024.”

In its new space at 400 N. Aberdeen which is a floor below its existing labs, Portal Innovations – Chicago’s preeminent venture development engine that invests financial, physical and human capital to fuel life sciences breakthroughs – will collaborate with CZ Biohub Chicago to advance their common goal of fostering innovation in the life sciences industry.

“Along with our national expansion to Boston, Atlanta, and Houston we saw a need to grow our flagship Chicago footprint to meet the expansion needs of our existing portfolio companies while maintaining capacity to support new members and partners,” said John Flavin, Portal Innovations’ CEO. “The strategic opportunity to extend our existing space to co-locate on the same floor with CZ Biohub will allow us to promote life sciences innovation together and catalyze further momentum in the Chicago regional ecosystem.”

“The expansion of these two innovative organizations at Fulton Labs is a testament not only to the quality of the product, but more importantly to the strength of Chicago’s growing life sciences ecosystem,” said Johnny Carlson of TCC Chicago. “Chicago has an incredibly talented labor pool thanks to the world-class research institutions that call the city home, making it an ideal environment for the growing life sciences industry. Fulton Labs was ideated to capture companies in their early stages of growth and provide them with the tools and resources needed to steadily expand within the Chicago market. We are pleased to welcome CZ Biohub and Portal to their new spaces in 2024.”

The Fulton Labs Campus, represented by Dan Lyne, Executive Vice President, Global Health & Life Sciences at CBRE, includes 1375 W. Fulton -- which spans 300,000 square feet and features a Science-Ready Lab Suites program-- and 400 N. Aberdeen -- 425,000 square feet. Other tenants at the campus include Xeris Biopharma, Charles River Laboratories, Vanqua Bio, Talis Biomedical, Dimension Inx, and Celadyne Technologies.