Industry News

Smith & Nephew Inc. is expanding in Massachusetts. The company plans to open a new 80,000-sf Andover headquarters for its Endoscopy Division in 2002. The existing headquarters building will be converted to a 110,000-sf manufacturing facility, and a 60,000-sf Mansfield, Mass., manufacturing plant will be expanded by 40,000 sf. The Endoscopy Division makes arthroscopic products.

Rohm and Haas, based in Philadelphia, plans to consolidate its chemical operations in Lower Gwynedd, where the company currently has a 600,000-sf lab. After closing its facility in Bristol Township, Rohm and Haas will invest $20- to $25 million to relocate 175 Bristol employees to Lower Gwynedd and construct a second building at that 140-acre site.

Three universities in the Triangle have plans for new genomics facilities, faculty, and equipment. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has targeted $245 million for genomics development. North Carolina State University is investing $300 million in genome science initiatives and plans to build three new buildings. Duke University has budgeted $200 million for construction of four new facilities, one of which is the Center for Human Disease Models, a facility housing more than 36,000 cages.

The University of Texas at San Antonio plans to develop its Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering Building with $22.9 million received from a $1 billion state revenue bond initiative for new projects. The $64 million facility is currently in the programming stage which should be completed by September. Architect of record for the project, which has not yet entered the design phase, is FPK of Houston.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio could benefit from a $1 billion revenue bond initiative for new projects in Texas. The campus is eligible to receive up to $29 million for new facility construction housing academic administration and student services, including a Laredo Extension Campus support building.