Architecture firms that specialize in science and technology work, or larger companies with divisions that specialize in lab and research facilities, have spent the last few years pivoting toward different project types, as the boom years of biotech building continue to fizzle. The designers who specialize in building spaces for innovation need to innovate how they sell their services and find work. A pandemic-era upswing in life sciences investment created a lab building boom in 2021 and 2022, which has since created a supply glut, with tens of millions of square feet of brand-new, empty lab space in top markets such as San Diego, Boston, and the Bay Area. The resultwith a third of the nations lab space empty and in search of tenantshas been a near-complete shutdown in new lab construction and corresponding demand for lab architecture.Cooper Carry renovation of Halyard Health Corporate Research and Development Facility (Courtesy Cooper Carry)Its down across the country, except for a few exceptions in Texas and across the Front Range in the Rocky Mountains, said Ed Cordes, Perkins&Wills leader of the firms science and technology practice, which employs about 300. We think were about three years out before all the new lab supply gets absorbed. Its not great.In addition, the Donald Trump administration has severely curtailed federal support for research funding and universities. The push to cap whats called indirect costs at 15 percentsupport for basic research including materials and labormeans billions of fewer dollars will go to universities that would support the ongoing operations of new and existing research centers. Ken Richter, National Life Science Sector Lead for Project Management Advisors, an industry consultancy, said these cuts represent a significant headwind for an important part of the industry, and some research institutions are canceling or putting large developments on hold. Gavin Keith, Life Science Core Market Leader at DPR, said that over the last four years, the lab real estate most affected by oversupply have been the commercial biotech developments for startups and emerging markets done by commercial developers and real estate investment trusts. Architects tend to focus on the academic research and medical lab facilities.Weve seen very little activity when it comes to that commercial part of the lab market, said Keith.The loss of the AAAA commercial biotech lab market, and the shrinking federal contribution to research funding, has created a gap in the market for science and technology architects, which firm leaders seek to fill with related projects. Designers with the skills to design around complex workflows, understand sophisticated science and inquiry, and work with high-tech machines, tend to have transferable skills.Franklin Antonio Hall at the University of San Diego, designed by Perkins&Will (Nick Merrick)Within biotech, theres still a heavy focus on diagnostics and medical devices, as well as pharmaceutical research and manufacturing, especially by Big Pharma firms like Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson. Keith said theres tremendous investment in research and development, just in private companies that arent dependent on venture capital.Architectural firms should look to pivot from pure research and discovery to diagnostics and medical devices, and labs for healthcare companies to do translational research, said Keith. Cordes said theres also an explosion in academic medical center projects, including the rebuilding of schools of medicine and allied health, a response to the aging U.S. population.But overall, the academic market has become more challenging. Brent Amos, principal and leader of the Science + Technology Studio at Cooper Carry, said hes seen a significant drop-off in the number of RFPs for large projects in the last year, and his firm has mostly been doing renovations and studies for future projects.Northwestern Querrey Biomedical by Perkins&Will (James Steinkamp)Perkins&Will made a larger pivot and redeployment of their science and technology team a few years ago, when they observed changing interest rates and shifting market demands. Part of this shift has been working more in advanced manufacturingincluding working on micro-nuclear reactors for powering data centers. Cordes said the division isnt booking, but staying busy. Cooper Carry has been making similar pivots, working on advanced manufacturing projects as lab work remains unsteady. The shift that this sector of the architecture profession is making mirrors the evolution of labs, which has grown from just encompassing traditional visions of labs, with benches and test tubes, to the growth of specialty labs for various industries, from semiconductor labs to ag-tech labs making fake meats.Everyone talks about designing facilities that are flexible and adaptable, said Cordes. There is no better example of it than right now, and designing some of these speculative lab buildings. The spaces will be different in the next ten years than theyve been in the past ten years.Patrick Sisson is a Chicago expat living in Los Angeles who covers design, policy, and the trends that shape our cities.