Lake Nona To Build State-Of-The-Art Wet Lab & Biotech Incubator Facility

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 19 Feb 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Tavistock Group announced plans to build a state-of-the-art wet laboratory and biotech incubator facility at Lake Nona's emerging medical city. The 100,000-square-foot facility, which is the first of its kind in Central Florida, will be designed to house research institutes and private businesses seeking to capitalize on the synergy taking form at Lake Nona.

The wet lab facility will be located in close proximity to two of the medical city anchors: the UCF College of Medicine and Burnham Institute for Medical Research. This unique building will be built in anticipation of the future needs of the emerging medical city. The addition of this high-tech laboratory space will help recruit and retain the best scientists and facilitate partnerships and development.

"This specialized facility will act as a catalyst that continues the development of the bio-science cluster at Lake Nona," said Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing director of the Tavistock Group. "We are building a cutting edge home for the next wave of research institutes and bio-science companies."

"We want companies to have the opportunity to focus on their core business, and not have to cope with the myriad of permits and design issues to build such a facility. This building will accommodate immediate move-ins of biotech users," said Jim Zboril, president of Lake Nona Property Holdings. "With our unique ability to co-invest and the infrastructure that will already be in place at Lake Nona, we think this will be a very attractive proposition to companies in all stages of growth who wish to capitalize on the synergies at Lake Nona and all that Central Florida has to offer," Zboril added.

The Tavistock Group is soliciting proposals from renowned architects around the country to design this signature building. The design should take place in 2008, with construction slated for 2009 and occupancy in 2010.

Lake Nona's emerging medical city, which is the cornerstone of the multi-faceted, master-planned community of Lake Nona, will serve as a biomedical research and educational hub. In addition to UCF's health sciences campus and Burnham Institute, Lake Nona's Science & Technology Park will also be home to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nemours Orlando Children's Hospital and physician clinic, and the M.D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Center.

About Lake Nona

Lake Nona is a thoughtfully-designed 7,000-acre master planned community within the city limits of Orlando that will be home to world-class education, medical and recreational facilities, a science and technology park, diverse workspaces, retail centers, entertainment choices and residential options for all types of people seeking the very best the city has to offer with all the conveniences of living within a dynamic, vibrant community. Lake Nona is being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings, owned by Tavistock Group, a private investment company with a broad portfolio of assets around the world. For more information on Lake Nona, visit http://www.learnlakenona.com.

About Tavistock Group

Tavistock Group is a private investment company founded by Joe Lewis. The Group has grown to encompass a broad portfolio of investments around the world in the following sectors: life sciences, sports teams (Tottenham Hotspur Football Club) and sporting events (The Tavistock Cup, Isleworth Collegiate Invitational), manufacturing (Bristol Motor Cars) and distribution (Puma, Gottex, Vans), oil and gas, financial services, restaurants (California Café, Napa Valley Grille), private luxury residential properties and master planned real estate developments.

Private club communities include Isleworth and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club both located in Orlando, Florida. Lake Nona forms a cornerstone holding to the Group's current innovative, 7,000-acre mixed-use development plan highlighted by a life sciences cluster known as "Lake Nona Medical City." Tavistock Group and its partners, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, have recently broken ground on Albany, a luxury resort-style community on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas. Albany will feature a broad array of amenities for all members of the family including an Ernie Els designed 18-hole championship golf course and a mega-yacht marina flanked by luxury apartment homes designed by some of the most respected architects in the world.

Tavistock Group also announced its partnership with the Jamaican Government's Harmonization Ltd. to jointly plan and develop 2,350 oceanfront acres on the country's northern coast in Trelawny Parish. The development is designed to reclaim the age of luxury in Jamaica and will include several hotels, gaming lounge, golf courses, retail shops, restaurants and marina making it the definitive premier resort destination in the Caribbean.

Tavistock Group