A pair of life science campus developments designed by Flad, Avia Labs and Vantage, have earned design awards from the California chapter of the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA). Vantage won an Honor Award, and Avia Labs took home a Merit Award from the annual awards gala. Flad master planned and provided core and shell design for both developments, which are located in the San Fracisco Bay Area biotech hub.
Healthpeak Vantage | Honor AwardFlad partnered with developer Healthpeak Properties to design the Vantage campus. The campus features two scientific workplace buildings totaling 342,000 square feet of laboratory and office space as well as the Hangar, a two-story amenity building. All three buildings are certified LEED Gold. The master plan envisions six buildings totaling more than 1.7 million square feet on the 19-acre life science campus. Vantage's iconic sculptural massing and distinctive glazing, inspired by crystalline structures, anchor the intersection and front door of the campus with the site's modern aesthetic.
The prominent six-story building's floors step outward, cantilevering toward the site's northeast corner, while the second building's five stories subtly extend this architectural statement across the site, establishing a unified aesthetic. Honoring the site’s industrial past, the 40,000-square-foot Hangar serves as the cultural heart of the campus. It includes an eclectic food hall featuring local chefs, a full-service rooftop bar, fitness center, conference space, and more. The building is organized around a central monumental stair with informal seating areas in a double-height, open lobby.
Healthpeak Properties 
Vantage Development
Avia Labs by Longfellow | Merit AwardEstablishing a new convergence point for life science research in Millbrae, California, Flad designed Avia Labs for Longfellow Real Estate Partners. The six-story life science research facility offers 315,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space for biotechnology companies and academic research institutions.
Adjacent to train stations, major highways, and San Francisco International Airport, Avia’s high-performance façade and concrete structural system elegantly balance the challenges of a transit-oriented development. The zero-lot-line design maximizes square footage while activating key entry points and amenities with sculptural urban gestures. The façade is articulated with interlocking glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels and acoustically glazed units, allowing daylight to penetrate the deep floor plates while mitigating sound, vibration, and electromagnetic fields created by nearby train stations. The window panels vary in width to express the feeling of gaining momentum. A recessed main entrance features floor-to-ceiling windows under the cantilevered second story while the third-floor terrace offers mountain views and a connection to the surrounding neighborhood.
Longfellow Real Estate Partners Avia Labs
June 30, 2026