Built for Patients, Designed for the Planet: Inside Our Mass Timber Manufacturing Facility

Nov 04, 2026

5 Min Read

Image of UT's mass timber manufacturing facility behind text saying "New mass timber manufacturing facility, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina"

We are thrilled to mark the completion of Warp 10, the country’s first mass timber pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

In the science fiction TV show Star Trek, Warp 10 represents the theoretical limit of speed, a point where conventional rules no longer apply. It symbolizes the pursuit of what was once thought impossible.

For United Therapeutics, Warp 10 reflects our own willingness to challenge accepted limits. A pharmaceutical manufacturing plant that meets current good manufacturing practices (cGMP), built largely of mass timber, and designed to strive toward zero embodied carbon is unprecedented in the life sciences sector.

The innovative design began with a practical need – expanding capacity to serve patients. We have extremely promising new therapies in development and an ambitious goal to maintain two-years’ worth of inventory for our drugs.

The 196,000-square-foot facility houses manufacturing, laboratories, warehousing, and offices to expand our production and packaging as we anticipate future growth. It is also a beautiful space for our fellow Unitherians, offering unique views of the surrounding North Carolina landscape and an inviting environment for work.

Pushing the Boundaries of Green Construction

As a healthcare company, we aim to mitigate our environmental footprint, including by reducing our carbon footprint – from the building materials we select to the energy we use. With buildings accounting for an estimated 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, we wanted Warp 10 to represent our commitment to operating sustainably.

We pushed the boundaries of green construction, creating a hybrid structure that combines mass timber, green steel, low-carbon concrete, and organic cladding. This lower-carbon structure is paired with an extensive rooftop photovoltaic system that converts sunlight directly into electricity, meeting nearly 40% of the facility’s annual energy needs.

Together, these features set a new standard for sustainable cGMP manufacturing. We take great pride in overcoming obstacles and creating something new and beneficial. With our history of innovation – of making the impossible possible – it’s only fitting that United Therapeutics would be the first to do this.

To learn more about the construction of Warp 10, read our 2025 Impact Story, “Manufacturing in a Tree House: Integrating Net Zero with Nature-Based Design.”