Industry News

The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute officially opened in Edmonton on May 1, 2008. The $217 million facility is Western Canada's first heart institute. Housing an MRI suite and a $1.2-million virtual-reality laboratory, the building includes 124 beds, six operating rooms, and a $2.2 million patient healing garden. The main part of the 62,000-sm hospital will open to patients in September of 2008.

Covance celebrated the completion of its 288,000-sf animal testing laboratory in Chandler, Ariz., on May 1, 2008. The $100 million facility broke ground in June of 2007 and includes animal housing, five laboratories, a 100-seat auditorium, an animal care area, and a cafeteria. Operations will begin in the three-story building in early 2009.

SAFC Hitech, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group, opened its $9 million state-of-the-art cleanroom in Sheboygan Falls, Wis., on April 29, 2008. The 5,000-sf facility, comprised of an ISO Class 4 cleanroom, a distillation suite, and office space, provides in-house trace metals analysis and the capability to clean and fill containers in a tightly-controlled environment.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Unigene has initiated construction on a research, development, and manufacturing facility in Shijiazhuang, China. The project is part of a joint venture with state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company Shijiazhuang Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, its subsidiary China Pharmaceutical Group, and NBP Pharmaceutical Company.

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare will open its new $89.6 million hospital in Franklin, Wis., on April 28, 2008. The five-story, 275,000-sf facility began construction in June of 2006 and houses outpatient care, surgery, an 18-room emergency department, imaging, physician offices, cardiac care, physical therapy, and a conference center. The project team includes HDR Inc. of Omaha as architect and CG Schmidt of Milwaukee as general contractor.