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Kindeva’s New Global Headquarters and R&D Facility Supports Business Growth and Cultural Transformation

Kindeva, is one of Minnesota’s most promising technology companies, is a contract development and manufacturing organization in the pharmaceutical industry. They provide unique technologies and quality services, from formulation and product development to commercial manufacturing, including inhalation drug delivery, transdermal drug delivery, microstructure transdermal systems, and connected drug delivery. 

As a recent spin-off from 3M, Kindeva is going through a business transformation. They needed a global headquarters and R&D facility that would support business growth (not only locally but for six additional worldwide locations) in a competitive global market; improve synergy among staff, administration, and leadership; and offer a best-in-class customer experience.  

For their business transition as a stand-alone company, they sought a partner who understood their business goals and could design the infrastructure to support its growth and cultural transformation. After a national search, they chose Minnesota as their home because of the growing technology industry here, and HGA as their partner because of the firm’s successful experience partnering with other high-tech science & technology businesses.  

HGA has built long-term partnerships with science & technology, healthcare, and government organizations to design research labs, clean rooms, and administrative spaces that advance the clients’ mission to develop new technology, products, and services that contribute to scientific discovery. 

HGA’s partnership with Kindeva began by evaluating the company’s existing space on the 3M campus and conceptualizing an ideal new R&D headquarters where they could build their global brand and inspire collaboration between team members across functions and departments. The existing clean room labs at 3M were difficult to access for visitors, requiring security checks, suiting up, and navigating around equipment and lab staff to observe and evaluate processes and technology. Additionally, the large campus infrastructure physically separated leadership, sales, marketing, and R&D staff, creating unintentional silos and reducing random acts of collaboration. 

“Through a collaborative evaluation process, Kindeva with HGA envisioned breaking down physical impediments and transforming the siloes into more open, collaborative spaces while integrating cutting-edge technology and safety standards into industry-leading clean rooms that support innovation in drug delivery systems,” said Leigh Harrison, principal at HGA. 

The new 137,500 square foot building integrates the laboratory, quality control, manufacturing, and business functions in a collaborative space that facilitates a unique and beneficial customer experience. 

Some of HGA’s innovative design details include: 

Peek a Boo Labs – The laboratories and ISO-7 clean room suites set a new standard in the category. They have windows opening to hallways, allowing clients, customers, regulators, and prospective partners a front-row presentation of technology and processes without Tyvek suits, specialized security, and the risk of unintentional interaction or contamination of lab and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) processes. The lab benches are separated by an innovative utility corridor, like a data center, allowing equipment to be connected to all services from behind the bench, keeping the work area clean and open. 

Best-in-Class Customer and Employee Experience– The Global HQ integrates Kindeva’s branded colors throughout the facility, including clean rooms, common areas, and administrative space.  Windows to labs open to exterior hallways to allow natural light and outdoor views into the lab space creating a best-in-class working environment. COVID-compliant office and cube spacing is combined with high-performance HVAC, office furniture, and adaptive LED lighting to provide a productive work environment that communicates safety. Informal collaborative and recreational space increase collaborations and relationships between all levels of the company. Unisex changing rooms and multiple mother’s rooms create an inclusive environment. 

State-of-the-Art Environmental Controls – The GMP clean room suite was designed to ISO-7 standards. Several of the laboratories offer additional environmental controls driving very high-performance HVAC equipment. These allow differential negative pressures between common areas and clean rooms, and even between adjoining clean rooms. Temperature and relative humidity can be independently controlled between wide extremes to simulate manufacturing conditions in tropical, arid, and arctic environments, and specialized smart screens alert technicians to optimize environmental conditions for safety and process requirements. Every door is monitored not just for entry or exit but for air infiltration, providing data to the building control system that compensates to maintain the required environment. 

By combining its expertise in engineering, architecture, research, technology, and branding, HGA helped Kindeva create a world-class global R&D headquarters for more than 175 scientists, marketers, and support staff that positions the company as an industry leader in the medical technology & devices industry. This project aligns with HGA’s mission to collaborate with high-tech clients who are contributing to the greater good through research and innovation.  

About Kindeva Drug Delivery 

Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kindeva Drug Delivery is a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in the pharmaceutical industry. Kindeva provides unique technologies and quality services to its customers, ranging from formulation and product development to commercial manufacturing. Kindeva focuses on complex drug programs, and its current offering spans inhalation drug delivery, transdermal drug delivery, microstructured transdermal systems (microsystems), and connected drug delivery. Kindeva employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.kindevadd.com. 

About HGA 

HGA is a national interdisciplinary design firm committed to making a positive, lasting impact for our clients and communities through research-based, holistic solutions. We believe that great design requires a sense of curiosity—forming deep insight into our clients, their contexts, and the human condition. We are a collective of over 800 architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, researchers, and strategists. Our practice spans multiple markets, including corporate, cultural, education, local and federal government, healthcare, and science and technology. Visit HGA.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.