Architecture firm bolsters design team to serve the burgeoning life sciences market in Boston
Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced the expansion of its Science Studio with the addition of Imran Khan, AIA, LEED AP as associate principal and Sarah Attia, LEED AP ID+C as an interior designer.
As an associate principal, Imran will be responsible for leading the overall direction of the Science Studio, including managing and recruiting staff, overseeing projects, and developing new client relationships. In her role as interior designer, Sarah will provide design, technical detailing, and space planning services from concept development through construction documentation for MP’s science clients.
According to the 2019 Industry Snapshot from Mass Bio, Boston is the number one hub for life sciences in the world. Massachusetts is home to a thriving life sciences community, the most highly educated workforce in the U.S., and universities and hospitals that are global leaders in biotech research. Over 12.4 million SF of commercial lab space has been added to Massachusetts in the last 10 years, an increase of 70%. Additionally, investment in the industry has again reached an all-time-high, with $4.8 billion of venture capital (VC) investment in Massachusetts biopharma companies in 2018.
“Boston’s life sciences employment growth has not only outpaced overall job growth at a pace of nearly four to one in the last year, but the region has also recorded the largest five-year employment growth out of any top life sciences cluster in the U.S.,” said Daniel Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, principal and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “We are excited to welcome Imran and Sarah to our design team. They bring a broad range of skills and experience designing a variety of laboratory, technology, and healthcare projects, and they understand our firm’s focus on creating high-quality design and workplace strategies that support our clients’ business goals.”
Whether they are working on the next drug targeting a life-threatening disease, advancing immunotherapy, designing a new medical device to promote faster healing, science companies are focused on delivering important discoveries designed to improve the quality of life. Offering an integrated approach to design, Margulies Perruzzi’s design process parallels the scientific process: gathering data, observing conditions, proposing and testing solutions, and then deploying designs that improve the working environments for employees.
With an inspirational Science portfolio, Margulies Perruzzi specializes in life sciences, medical devices, research and development (R&D), and manufacturing. Margulies Perruzzi has worked with a wide range of industry leaders, including Siemens, Nuvera Fuel Cells, Millipore Sigma, Philips, Metabolix, Boston Scientific, and many others.
Imran Khan, AIA, LEED AP ~ Associate Principal, Director of Science
With over 25 years of experience with design firms in the Boston area, Imran has planned, directed, and monitored all aspects of technically complex, multidisciplinary projects such as the design for a mixed-use biotechnology R&D laboratory and office building for EMD Serono; the design and construction of a Manufacturing Science & Technology (MSAT) Pilot Plant; and a health sciences simulation laboratory suite at Northeastern University.
“Our goal is to leverage design to transform spaces in order to help our clients achieve their missions of improving people’s lives,” said Imran. “As designers, we are always seeking ways to improve the built environments through creative and strategic planning solutions. With a great team of people who truly care about the quality of their work, our process is dynamic, motivating, and productive enabling lifelong partnerships with our clients.”
Imran holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Northeastern University and he has served on the MArch Thesis Faculty at Boston Architectural College since 2007. A registered architect in four states, he is a member of the AIA, BSA, and USGBC as well as a LEED accredited professional.
Sarah Attia, LEED AP ID+C ~ Interior Designer
With nearly 15 years of experience, Sarah has a deep and varied portfolio of science and technology, commercial, hospitality and healthcare projects. She excels at all aspects of the design process and has exceptional programming, space planning, code analysis, and technical skills, including interior detail development.
Since beginning her career in interior design, Sarah has worked at several Boston-area architecture and interior design firms as a designer, interior architect, and project manager. In these roles, she contributed her extensive interior design skills for projects in the pharmaceutical, R&D, healthcare, corporate, hospitality, and higher education markets.
Sarah received a Master of Arts in Interior Architecture from the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University in Boston and holds a Master of Law from Tel-Aviv University in Israel. She is a LEED accredited professional and a member of the IIDA New England Chapter.
About Margulies Perruzzi
As one of New England’s top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi (MP) designs Workplace, Healthcare+Science, and Real Estate projects that inspire and nurture human endeavor. More information may be found at http://mparchitectsboston.com.