When Gilead set out to design a new research building, the company had big aspirations. The aim was to not just deliver a facility that achieved the scientific ambitions of today, but to build a space that would encourage researchers to focus on their scientific visions of tomorrow.

“We wanted to make sure that this building was not just an ordinary laboratory building,” says Wendy Gifford, Vice President, Corporate Engineering and Facilities at Gilead. “It’s actually a place to inspire innovation.”

Before its opening in May 2019, Gilead’s scientists were involved in all aspects of Building 324’s design and construction, ensuring this would be an environment that met their needs. At the same time, the facilities and operations teams prioritized sustainability. The end result is a building that serves as a model for a space that is both socially responsible and highly collaborative – a distinct home for Gilead’s community of scientists.

For these efforts, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) awarded Gilead the 2021 Facility of the Year Award for Special Recognition for Operational Agility: COVID-19 Impact. The ISPE created this special category this year to honor the unique challenges of operating during a pandemic. Building 324 is the first facility exclusively focused on research to be recognized in any category in the history of the ISPE awards, which began in 2004.

“In a year where the role of pharmaceutical facilities in enabling research, development and manufacturing of therapies was significant, Gilead’s central research building was a great example of how we see engineering and facilities groups catalyzing innovation – by providing flexible, user-defined, technology-enabled facilities to bring therapies to life in a fast and efficient manner,” the ISPE said in announcing Gilead’s award.