Where Cortex could be building next

The Cortex innovation district in Midtown has one big project underway with the $100 million redevelopment of the Goodwill Building, at 4140 Forest Park Ave., but it's likely not the last.

Sam Fiorello, Cortex's president and CEO, said the nonprofit master developer of the 200-acre district has identified a pair of surface parking lots that he described as "ripe for development," while noting that demand for space is surging, particularly when it comes to research labs.

"All of our available lab spaces are now spoken for," Fiorello said on the Arch City Report podcast this week. "So there's still very heavy demand for lab space. And as you can imagine, unlike generic office space, it's work-from-home-proof. You have to be at the lab to work."