Pharmaceutical research facilities rarely follow the rules of conventional office architecture. Their spatial logic is shaped not only by human movement but also by scientific processes, precision equipment, and ever-evolving research demands. Designing such environments therefore demands more than architectural aesthetics. It requires a structure that can anticipate change, absorb complexity, and support scientific exploration for decades. The R&D and Office Building for Mankind Pharma in Navi Mumbai, designed with structural engineering expertise from KPM Engineering, demonstrates how steel-led structural systems can unlock possibilities that traditional construction methods would struggle to achieve.
Spread across 4 lakh sq ft, the R&D and Office Building for Mankind Pharma facility introduces a research-driven workplace defined by floating research volumes, long column-free laboratories, composite steel systems, and highly adaptable structural grids. What appears as an expressive architectural form is, in reality, a carefully engineered framework designed to balance flexibility, vibration control, safety, and future expansion. The result is a building where architecture and engineering evolve together, rather than restricting one another.
WHEN RESEARCH DEFINES ARCHITECTURE
Unlike standard office buildings, pharmaceutical research facilities operate under a unique set of spatial and technical requirements. Laboratories must accommodate heavy equipment, evolving research technologies, complex service networks, and strict safety protocols. Layouts must remain adaptable as scientific workflows change. Structural systems must support higher live loads while maintaining stability and vibration control.
For the Mankind Pharma R&D facility, these requirements became the primary design drivers. The planning approach therefore focused on three guiding principles: flexibility, safety, and long-term adaptability. The building is organised through clear functional zoning, separating research areas, collaboration zones, and administrative functions while maintaining efficient connectivity between them. Modular planning ensures that laboratory layouts can evolve without structural disruption.
Equally important was the integration of building services. Research laboratories depend heavily on mechanical, electrical, and chemical handling systems. Efficient service routing was therefore embedded into the structural framework itself, ensuring that infrastructure upgrades can be accommodated in the future without intrusive structural changes.
In essence, the building’s form emerges directly from its function.
“In pharmaceutical R&D facilities, structure goes beyond a support system, it becomes an enabler of scientific progress, adaptability, and long-term innovation.” – Deepak Bashetty, Regional Director, KPM Engineering
THE ILLUSION OF FLOATING RESEARCH VOLUMES
One of the most visually striking aspects of the project lies in its cantilevered upper research volumes and recessed terraces. From an architectural perspective, these projecting volumes create a dynamic façade composition. They visually lighten the building mass and introduce outdoor terraces that break the monotony of laboratory floors.
From a structural perspective, however, they represent a complex engineering challenge. The floating effect is achieved through advanced transfer beams and truss systems, which redistribute loads from the projecting research blocks back into the primary structural grid. These transfer structures must control deflection while maintaining structural stability across multiple floors.
Such systems demand careful calibration. Any excessive movement could affect not only the building envelope but also the sensitive laboratory equipment housed within. The result is a delicate balance between architectural expression and structural precision.
STEEL: THE MATERIAL THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE
Achieving long spans, lighter structures, and flexible planning required a material capable of delivering structural performance without compromising spatial freedom. Steel emerged as the logical choice.
The building adopts a composite steel structural system, consisting of steel beams and columns integrated with composite metal deck slabs. This configuration offers several advantages: reduced structural depth, lighter building weight, and the ability to achieve longer spans compared to conventional reinforced concrete systems.
For research environments where space planning must remain fluid, these characteristics are invaluable. Steel also facilitates efficient cantilever action, enabling the dramatic projecting volumes that define the building’s architectural identity. At the same time, it simplifies potential structural modifications in the future, an important advantage for facilities where laboratories may undergo frequent technological upgrades. Approximately 500 tonne of structural steel will be deployed across the project to deliver these capabilities.
ENGINEERING COLUMN-FREE RESEARCH FLOORS
Laboratory environments demand uninterrupted floor plates. Equipment layouts change frequently, collaborative zones evolve, and research teams often require flexible configurations. Columns interrupting these spaces can severely limit functional adaptability.
The Mankind Pharma facility addresses this challenge through large column-free laboratory floors, supported by the composite steel structural system. Double-height spaces and open collaboration zones further enhance spatial flexibility while allowing deeper daylight penetration into the building interior. These spaces encourage interaction among research teams, reinforcing the collaborative nature of modern pharmaceutical innovation.
To support these large spans, the building incorporates braced steel cores, which provide lateral stability against wind and seismic forces. Additionally, strategically positioned transfer structures allow the column grid to change between the podium levels and the upper research volumes. This ensures that the functional requirements of different building zones can be accommodated without compromising structural integrity.
A FAÇADE THAT WORKS AS HARD AS THE STRUCTURE
While the building façade presents a distinctive architectural identity, it also performs critical engineering functions. Solar shading elements reduce heat gain and improve indoor environmental conditions for laboratory spaces. Secondary steel framing systems assist in transferring wind loads to the main structural framework.
Perhaps more importantly, the façade system is designed to accommodate inter-storey movements caused by wind or seismic activity. Such flexibility ensures that the façade remains intact and functional even when the building structure experiences minor movements under external forces.
In this way, the façade becomes an active component of the building’s engineering performance rather than a purely aesthetic layer.
PREFABRICATION AND THE SPEED OF CONSTRUCTION
Research facilities are often constrained by tight development schedules. Delays in infrastructure delivery can postpone scientific operations and affect business timelines. To address this, the project incorporates extensive use of prefabricated steel components and modular framing systems.
Off-site fabrication ensures higher quality control and reduces on-site construction risks. Modular steel framing enables rapid erection of structural elements, allowing laboratory floors to be enclosed earlier in the construction process.
This early enclosure is particularly valuable in R&D buildings, as it allows parallel installation of mechanical services, laboratory equipment, and specialised research infrastructure. The result is a streamlined construction process that improves both speed and safety.
DESIGNING FOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND FUTURE UPGRADES
Laboratory facilities must accommodate equipment that can impose significant structural loads and generate vibrations that may interfere with sensitive research instruments. The structural system for the Mankind Pharma facility was therefore designed to support higher live loads associated with laboratory machinery and future equipment upgrades.
Composite floor systems provide the required stiffness to control vibration levels. Localised strengthening has been incorporated in zones expected to house heavier equipment. At the same time, the regular structural grid ensures that laboratory layouts can be reconfigured without requiring structural alterations, an essential feature for facilities expected to evolve over decades.
SAFETY, FIRE PROTECTION, AND STRUCTURAL RESILIENCE
Pharmaceutical facilities demand stringent safety standards. All exposed steel members within the structure are protected using intumescent fire-resistant coatings, ensuring compliance with required fire ratings. In areas such as wet laboratories and chemical handling zones, additional corrosion-resistant coatings protect steel elements from exposure to aggressive environments.
Structural robustness was also a key design consideration. The building incorporates redundant load paths, ductile detailing, and progressive collapse checks, particularly around transfer structures and cantilevered zones. These measures ensure that the structure remains resilient even under extreme loading scenarios. For a research facility where operational continuity is critical, such robustness becomes indispensable.
PROJECT FACT FILE
Project: R&D and Office Building for Mankind Pharma
Location: Navi Mumbai
Built-up Area: 4,00,000 sq ft
Structural Consultant: KPM Engineering
Structural Steel: 500 tonne
Status: Expected December 2028
Why It Matters:
By enabling longer spans, lighter structures, faster construction, and easier adaptability, steel allows research facilities to remain relevant even as technologies evolve. The Mankind Pharma R&D building in Navi Mumbai illustrates this shift clearly. Through its floating research volumes, column-free laboratories, and composite structural framework, the project demonstrates how engineering innovation can support the future of pharmaceutical discovery. In environments where scientific breakthroughs depend on adaptable infrastructure, the structure itself becomes part of the innovation ecosystem. And that is precisely what makes this project a true MindBoggler.
