Category: 2022 Publications

Longfellow Real Estate Partners recently unveiled Bioterra, San Diego’s newest destination for life science innovation and one of the region’s first all-electric, LEED Gold, and Fitwel-certified laboratory buildings.

Designed to encourage social mixing at every level, Bioterra brings people together through thoughtfully activated spaces that extend beyond the lab and office. At the center is a dynamic rooftop terrace with sweeping San Diego views, flexible seating areas, and open zones designed to host tenant gatherings, networking receptions, wellness classes, and community events. It’s a space built for connection as much as collaboration.

Throughout the building, indoor and outdoor environments are intentionally layered to spark spontaneous interaction, support focused work, and create opportunities for teams to engage beyond their suites. Bioterra’s event-ready amenities make it easy to foster culture, host industry moments, and build meaningful relationships within the campus community.

With all-electric systems and forward-thinking design, Bioterra reflects Longfellow’s commitment to delivering sustainable real estate that supports life-changing innovation while creating spaces where people genuinely want to gather.

“Longfellow is proud to provide real estate to support life-changing innovation,” said Neill B. Sherron, Partner at Longfellow.

It began as a simple layered form, striking with its balance of warm and progressive. As Bioterra’s natural, glass and terracotta exterior comes to fruition this month, fuel for the future is cultivated. Bioterra’s newly installed curtain wall will give way to a forward-thinking collection of spaces within – from fully customizable lab/office floors to a curated rooftop amenity space with natural light and abundant fresh air where like-minded colleagues can share a sense of community.

Core/Shell delivering Fall 2024.

A huge thank you goes to the American Architecture Awards for recognizing @Longfellow Real Estate Partners’ Bioterra campus in their 2023 ‘Unbuilt Category’ along with the team at @HOK! As the first all-electric, ground-up life science development in San Diego, it is an honor to share this with so many well-deserving and innovative projects.  The American Architecture Awards are the nation’s highest public awards given by a non-commercial, non-trade affiliated, public arts, culture, and educational institution – honoring new and cutting-edge design in the United States.

We look forward to serving San Diego’s life science cluster with this award-winning, state-of-the-art space that will be complete with unparalleled amenities and proximity to world-class industry partners.

Congratulations to the collaborative team of HOK and Longfellow on this deserved recognition and thank you for bringing Bioterra to life! https://www.hok.com/projects/view/bioterra-life-sciences-building/

Bioterra’s Topping Out ceremony marks the project’s most recent milestone. As a thank you to the trade workers who have been constructing the building, McCarthy held an event to honor their hard work and accomplishments. To stay in line with the age-old tradition, a small evergreen treen was placed on the last structural beam as it was lifted in place to commemorate all the contributions it took to reach this point. This tradition has ancient roots in several cultures- the most common being to appease the tree-dwelling spirits that were displaced during construction.

While the construction team enjoyed a raffle of prizes, we had several members of the brokerage community attend and get their first view from the second story of the structure. We look forwart to hosting more on-site tours as the building comes to fruition.

When we said we were going vertical, we meant it- and it came to fruition much faster than expected. Our latest timelapse features the build-up after the concrete was laid, and we are almost topped out at the 5th level. Next step in the process? The traditional Topping Out Ceremony. Stay tuned for more updates.

We are thrilled to share that vertical steel erection has commenced at Bioterra. This step marks another major milestone in San Diego’s first all-electric Life Science building’s schedule. Check back to follow along on the progress as our vision becomes a reality. 

The progress continues at  Bioterra – this clip shows the subterranean parking come to fruition. Structural steel is beginning to go vertical this week. Set to deliver in 2024, Bioterra is among the first ground-up lab projects to rise in Sorrento Mesa. Stay tuned for more visual progress!

In April 2021, Longfellow acquired The Oberlin, a 4.14-acre office park and development site in Sorrento Mesa. A milestone in Longfellow’s commitment to building out the burgeoning biotech cluster in the Sorrento Mesa and Sorrento Valley submarkets, the new campus, designed by HOK Architects with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. as the general contractor on the project, will consist of over 323,000 square feet in six stories.

The property will offer seamless indoor/outdoor architectural features and amenities that prioritize physical, mental and community health. A modern aesthetic with earth tones and natural materials, the building will feature wrap-around balconies and a beautiful rooftop patio overlooking Sorrento Mesa, with specially curated food and beverage options open to the public.

MiresBall brand agency in San Diego created the Bioterra logo taking inspiration from the building’s architecture, specifically the glassline windows and morphing them into the letter B. The brand’s warm and progressive personality is reflected through the combination of the color and design elements.

Consistent with Longfellow’s commitment to be a leader in delivering environmentally sustainable and socially responsible projects, Bioterra will be the first all-electric HVAC life science building in San Diego in addition to being designed to LEED Gold Certification and Fitwel Standards, resulting in strategically forward-thinking and ESG leading design.