Industry News

Morphotek, the first biotech company to graduate from the Port of Technology incubator in West Philadelphia, will occupy a 41,000-sf facility in Exton. Previously located in 2,000 sf in the University City Science Center's Port of Technology building, the genomics-based life sciences company's agricultural technologies require land on which to grow crops. At present, 20,000-sf of the new Chester County headquarters are ready, and Morphotek plans to outfit the remainder for small-scale manufacturing over the next year.  Expansion at the new site

Cambridge-based biotech Genzyme will consolidate several area facilities with the lease of 85,800 sf in Westborough. Space allocation in the building, owned by EMC Corp., will be 25% lab and 75% office. The facility will house the Genzyme Genetics division relocated from Framingham. Genzyme's relocation represents pure growth, as other Genzyme operations will be housed in the vacated space.

The University of Maryland has selected the Baltimore office of Cannon Design to design a 200,000-sf educational center at its Shady Grove Campus. Computer classrooms, laboratories, and administrative and faculty offices will be housed at the new center.

Southwest Business Corp. plans to consolidate its services at a new 100,000-sf headquarters on a 3.7-acre site in North Central San Antonio. Groundbreaking for the $12 to $14-million building plus 4.5-story parking structure is planned for 2003, with occupancy anticipated in 2005. The company provides insurance and financial services.

Texas Tech University System has selected Detroit-based SmithGroup to provide programming, design architecture, engineering, and master planning services for a new Health Sciences Center Research Facility in El Paso. The facility, scheduled for completion in December of 2005, is the first building of a planned four-year medical school and new regional Health Sciences Center Campus for the Texas Tech University System.