Industry News

Lehigh University will break ground in August of 2008 on the $62.1 million Science, Technology, Environment, Policy & Society (STEPS) building in Bethlehem, Pa. The 135,000-sf facility will be constructed to attain LEED certification by construction manager Alvin H. Butz, Inc. Completion is slated for June of 2010. The project will feature a green roof.

Ark Therapeutics Group opened a $19.1 million GMP-3 manufacturing facility in Kuopio, Finland, in July of 2008. The commercial scale production plant is connected to Ark's existing laboratory suites and will manufacture gene-based medicines. The BSL-2 facility features a 547-sm cleanroom with HEPA air filtration. The duration of construction for the project was three years.

The University of California, San Diego has selected EMCOR subsidiaries Dynalectric Company and University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors to provide the electrical and mechanical infrastructure for the 128,000-sf Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center in San Diego.

Lee University will initiate construction in July of 2008 on a 73,000-sf laboratory and classroom facility for science and mathematics instruction in Cleveland, Tenn. The $14 million facility will be comprised of two wings connected by a central commons and will house a 150-seat lecture hall, 13 classrooms, 10 laboratories, 30 faculty offices, a large student lounge, reading rooms, and two computer labs.

The University of California at Santa Cruz will construct a $12.9 million stem cell research center on the fourth floor of its planned Biomedical Sciences Building. Supported by $7.2 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the 19,829-sf facility will house interdisciplinary stem cell research laboratories. The project will include core research areas, microscopy, and tissue culture rooms.