Ramboll, the architecture, engineering and consultancy company, has published a whitepaper offering guidance on future-proofing life sciences facilities. It sets out four early-stage decisions that the company says shape the long-term resilience of pharmaceutical manufacturing sites. The guide, titled Future-proofing your life sciences site, was released on 27 October 2026.
The publication covers site selection, energy, water and the design of operations that can adapt to changing needs. It is aimed at project owners, investors, site leaders, engineers and sustainability teams involved in building or expanding life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Ramboll was founded in Denmark in 1945 and employs 18,000 experts across areas including buildings, transport, water, energy, environment and health, and management consulting. The whitepaper coincides with the launch of the company’s global Life Science & Pharma campaign.
Four decisions for future-proofing life sciences facilities
According to Ramboll, choices about site, energy and water supply, and operational design are difficult to undo once made. They can prove costly in ten or fifteen years if circumstances change.
The company said facilities planned around one demand forecast, one energy set-up or one kind of product may be disadvantaged by such narrow decision-making. In its view, these sites can become vulnerable to changes in external factors such as grid capacity, new regulation or fluctuations in demand.
Treating sites as connected systems
The guide recommends considering the four decisions in tandem rather than in isolation, and viewing facilities as one connected system of interdependencies. Ramboll said the approach is intended to encourage project owners and engineers to ask the right questions before important choices are locked in.
The company said this would help facilities remain resilient, sustainable and able to adapt to unexpected circumstances, while retaining long-term value.
Resilience in production site planning
Richard Linacre, UK Pharmaceuticals Director at Ramboll, said: “Production site development planning is more challenging than ever for life science and pharmaceutical companies. Building around the core principle of resilience has never been more important to ensuring facilities remain competitive and are able to adapt to everything from climate risk to variations in market demand. By focusing on the critical early-stage factors that have long-term consequences for life science and pharma facilities, this whitepaper supports companies to manage risk and navigate key interdependencies from the very start of a project.”
Balancing resilience with cost and compliance
Ivana Poparic, Business Development & Strategic Advisory Director – Life Sciences & Pharma at Ramboll, said the guide is intended to help facilities keep pace with changing portfolios and market conditions.
“The key challenge this guide seeks to address is ensuring the facilities we build today are able to adapt to the needs of an increasingly complex tomorrow. A facility can be perfectly suited to the current market conditions but find itself quickly outdated as company portfolio evolves or circumstances change. Protecting long-term value means considering resilience alongside cost and compliance at the very earliest stage of decision-making – and this is a core part of the role Ramboll is seeking to play as a strategic advisor to our life science and pharmaceutical partners,” she said.
The full Ramboll whitepaper on life sciences site resilience is available as a PDF. Life Sciences Global News has previously reported on investment in laboratory and biomanufacturing space, including a Q&A with Minister Vic Fedeli on Ontario’s $6 billion life sciences expansion.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ramboll’s Future-proofing your life sciences site whitepaper about?
It is a practical guide to building and expanding resilient, future-fit life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. It focuses on early-stage decisions that have long-term consequences for facility resilience.
What four early-stage decisions does the Ramboll whitepaper cover?
The guide covers site selection, energy, water and designing operations that can adapt to evolving needs. It recommends considering all four in tandem and viewing facilities as one connected system of interdependencies.
Who is the Ramboll whitepaper aimed at?
It is aimed at project owners, investors, site leaders, engineers and sustainability teams involved in life sciences and pharmaceutical facilities.
Why does Ramboll say early facility decisions matter?
Ramboll says these decisions are difficult to undo and can prove costly in ten or fifteen years if circumstances change. It says facilities planned around a single demand forecast, energy set-up or product type may be vulnerable to changes in grid capacity, regulation or demand.
When was the Ramboll whitepaper published?
It was published on 27 October 2026. Its release coincides with the launch of Ramboll’s global Life Science & Pharma campaign.
