Life Sciences Innovation
EwingCole designed a flexible incubator facility that empowers startups to transform breakthrough research into tomorrow’s healthcare solutions.
Research Incubator Facility
San Francisco, CA
Johnson & Johnson Innovation created JLABS @ South San Francisco to support emerging life science companies by accelerating discovery and enabling capital-efficient growth. As the organization’s first stand-alone incubator, the facility needed to accommodate early-stage startups while encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurial momentum.
To support this mission, the incubator offers chemistry, biology, and concept labs, as well as offices, conference rooms, and shared collaboration areas for up to 50 companies. The design emphasizes flexibility, allowing tenants to scale within the space by renting adjacent modules while staying close to their teams and lab operations.
Glass walls between labs and offices create transparency and visual connection while maintaining containment and privacy. An interaction lounge with a coffee bar and sweeping Bay views serves as the heart of the facility, reinforcing a sense of community and spontaneous knowledge sharing.
The final design provides startups with access to cutting-edge tools and infrastructure, eliminating the operational burdens of managing their own facilities. By blending adaptability with thoughtful amenities, the space offers a new model for biotech incubation.
