A storied research campus to empty out
The University of Pennsylvania had bought this former biopharmaceutical research and development facility from DuPont and operated it as a Vivarium, eventually selling the property to E Kahn Development, a real estate investment and development company.
EKD initially planned to turn the 17-acre wooded property into a nursing home or assisted living facility, and engaged Quantum Technology to clear out 97,000 SF of laboratories, walk-ins, animal cages, and electrical and mechanical rooms — leaving the building empty for repurposing.
Dismantled and resold — almost everything
Across a 3-story main building, a 40,000 SF Vivarium and seven additional outbuildings, Quantum disconnected the electrical and plumbing, pulled several thousand feet of laboratory casework and removed more than 50 fume hoods.
The removal reached deep into the building’s systems — walk-in coolers, chillers, a Detroit Diesel generator, air compressors, an RO/DI water filtration system, scintillation counters, nitrogen tanks, flammable cabinets and HazMat enclosures among them. Over four months, Quantum dismantled, removed and resold almost everything in the building.
On a 17-acre campus, Quantum cleared 97,000 square feet of laboratories plus a 40,000 SF Vivarium and seven outbuildings — reselling almost everything inside.
From casework to chillers
A deep, whole-building removal across labs, the Vivarium and the mechanical plant.
An empty building, ready for its next chapter
The campus was cleared for repurposing — and went on to a fitting second life.
Left empty for repurposing
Labs, Vivarium, outbuildings and mechanical rooms were all cleared, leaving the campus ready to be rebuilt.
Almost everything resold
Over four months, the equipment and infrastructure were dismantled and resold rather than scrapped.
A gene-therapy future
EKD eventually sold the property to Spark Therapeutics for use as a research lab for gene therapy.
From the project
Clearing out a research campus?
From casework and fume hoods to chillers, generators and whole mechanical plants, we empty labs for repurposing — and resell what we pull rather than scrap it.