text: Life-science complex boosted by food, fitness | SanDiegoUnionTribune.comToday's PaperWeather 76º FTrafficSurfNewslettersSubscribeNews+Government & PoliticsElectionsCrime, Courts & FireWatchdogData WatchScience & EnvironmentHealthEducationImmigrationNationWorldBorder & BajaNorth CountyCommunitiesEducation MattersSports+OlympicsChargersNFLPadresMLBDel Mar Horse RacingGulls & NHLAztecsHigh School / PrepsChargers stadium TorerosGolfBusiness+BiotechEconomyE-commerceEnergy & Green Growth & DevelopmentReal EstateRestaurantsRetail & Small BusinessTechnologyTourismFinanceA&E+Things To DoEventsMoviesMusicClassical MusicTheater & Performing ArtsVisual ArtsBooksDiscoverSDLifestyle+Visit San Diego PeopleHome & GardenMaking A DifferenceFood / CookingDining & DrinkingBeerTravelSan Diego Zoo SD Best PollEventsGuidesMilitary+MilitaryHonorDefenseOpinion+EditorialsCommentaryLetters to the EditorSteve BreenSteve Breen Caption ContestThe ConversationReaders' RepEndorsementsVideo+NewsSportsBusinessEntertainmentFeaturesWatchdogMilitaryMoreObitsObituariesPhotos & MemorialsFuneral HomesPlace an ObituaryFlowersGrief & SupportDeals & Classifieds+Daily DealsContestsClassifiedsGarage SalesMerchandisePetsServicesNewspaper AdsPlace an AdJobs+JobsEmployment NewsJob VideosEmployersPlace an AdHomes+Homes for SaleNew HomesRentalsOpen HomesCertified ServicesMortgagesCommunitiesMobile/ManufacturedPlace an Ad Cars+Sell Your CarBuy a CarFind a DealerPlace an AdBusinessGrowth & DevelopmentLife-science complex boosted by food, fitness Alexandria REIT tries to shift R&D ventures from silos to campus 'for adults'By Roger Showley
  / -- Alexandria Real Estate EquitiesShare Photo✉The Nautilus office complex on Torrey Pines Mesa perfectly mirrors the work of its tenants.Companies at the 223,000-square-foot, four-building complex seek biomedical breakthroughs to make life healthier.And that theme is reflected in the renovations, celebrated at a grand reopening Thursday hosted by the owner, Alexandria Real Estate Equities:• There's a quarter-acre garden with organic fruits, vegetables and herbs.• A barbecue pit and lounge area fit for a resort hotel.• Green Acre, a cafe operated by restaurateur Brian Malarkey of Searsucker, Burlap and Gaberdine fame.• Two state-of-the art conference rooms to promote collaboration within and between companies and their clients and customers.• Nautilus+Fit, a fitness center with massage, physical therapy and Zumba classes."We're a health care provider," said Daniel J. Ryan, Alexandria's executive vice president in San Diego, "and if anybody should be thinking about this, Alexandria should be. We should knit all this together — let's take care of the basic human elements. Make it easier to get something to eat and not have to drive to the mall. Put in common conferencing."From the researcher's standpoint, Nautilus is like a university quad, sans students. "This is a campus for grown-ups," said Peter Kuhn, a biologist working on cancer drugs at The Scripps Research Institute, one of the major tenants in the complex.The place is so attractive that Kuhn takes his kids there for fun, and other workers linger after work for TGIFs — the better to wait out the giant traffic jams on Genesee Avenue and the interstates.Ryan oversaw the million-dollar-plus transformation for Alexandria, a Pasadena-based real estate investment trust. It specializes in life-science industry users in Boston, San Francisco and other research centers, including San Diego. Alexandria has owned the property since 1994 and took the opportunity to rethink the project when Merck Pharmaceuticals vacated three of the buildings in 2010. "We wanted to tap into the idea that we are all about innovation," Ryan said.Alexandria (named for the ancient Egyptian city with the famed library) proceeded to reimagine the property as a cluster of several companies and institutes involved with the same type of research and development."We're now at the end of the beginning and at a phase where one major trend in our industry has been 'clusterization,' " Ryan said.Of course, Ryan and his consultants focused on the basics — adequate ventilation systems, proper ceiling heights, loading docks, flexible work stations. He has to make sure that a floor plan suited for Biomed Company A can be adapted to Robotics Company B.But at Nautilus, he's trying for something more.Ryan ordered the demolition of 14,000 square feet from two of the buildings, a reconfiguration of the parking to boost the car space ratio from 2.75 to 3 per thousand square feet and consolidation of the mechanical air conditioning and heating equipment.The result is less leasable space but a rental rate near the top of the Torrey Pines market at about $3.25 per square foot per month. The complex is virtually 100 percent occupied.The amenities of the new cafe and fitness center were added to the building at 3535 General Atomics Court, and the parking lot was turned into the organic garden and outdoor entertaining and barbecue area.While Scripps Research's Kuhn said he'd like a lap pool, too, he finds the atmosphere more conducive than ever to arriving at the "aha" moment of discovery. "You first explore and see if you can find solutions inside your own team," he said.But then in a casual conversation in the gym, at an encounter in the organic garden or during a Friday happy hour, he might get an idea in a casual conversation with a scientist from another office."What's interesting with the restaurant is that's our water cooler," he said. "This is the next generation water cooler."Beyond the professional collaboration, Jeff Black, chief financial officer for Verenium, another biotech company specializing in enzymes, said the Nautilus setup does have a practical, bottom-line benefit."It keeps people on campus, keeps them productive," he said, because they no longer feel the need to drive south to University Towne Centre for lunch or elsewhere for a workout.Email me: roger.showley@utsandiego.com or call me at 619-293-1286 | Follow me on Twitter@rmshowley.| Friend me on Facebook: Roger Showley | Subscribe to my Growth & Development blog.Nautilus' four paths to healthy thinkingNautilus + Eat: Brian Malarkey, executive chef for Enlightened Hospitality Group, said he set up Green Acre cafe as a "fast-casual" restaurant offering healthy menus, from fresh pressed juices to "salumi panini." "You have a built-in clientele — every guest is a repeat customer," he said. "We keep the price low, and they come in four to five times a week and we make a little money off them." He's planning a second Green Acre at another Alexandria project, Campus Pointe, north of Genesee Avenue and east of Interstate 5.Nautilus + Grow: Karen Contreras, founder ofUrban Plantations, tends the quarter-acre garden, sending two of her crew three times a week to weed, water and pick the veggies and fruit in a "seeding to harvest" cycle. "This is not a new idea, but I think the idea is developing more into having people take care of the garden (at a commercial office setting)," she said. Unfortunately for the Nautilus tenants, the 25 boxes of $5 vegetables they used to buy each week are gone; all the produce goes to Green Acre. A similar setup is also planned at Campus Pointe.Nautilus + Fit: Tyler Bell's Infinite Athleticism leads tenants through their paces in Zumba, yoga and circuit training classes at $5 to $10 per class. There's a full range of machine and free weights — and massage sessions. "Anyone who spends a lot of time in an office or the lab needs help in getting back into shape and to take care of themselves," Bell said. "These are highly motivated people who prioritize their careers, and they need help to maintain fitness."Nautilus + Meet: Two conference rooms, outfitted with high-tech audiovisual equipment, serve tenants for staff meetings and consultations with clients and other companies. In addition, an outdoor entertainment and barbecue area, pingpong table and places to sit in the garden make for informal social gathering. This outdoor living room is designed to promote cross-fertilization and unplanned encounters that can lead to unexpected collaboration and inspiration.Roger Showley✉More from Roger ShowleyTaxpayers group opposes Briggs initiativePort warms to aquaculture in SD BayHousing at $495,000: A worry for San Diegans?