Industry News

AstraZeneca R&D Boston will soon be adding 80,000 sf to its 170,000-sf office and infectious disease research facility in Boston. The company currently employs 250 at the site; the expansion will accommodate up to 420 over the next few years.

The Office of Homeland Security may move into a 339,000-sf, eight-story stand-alone building with secure parking—the largest block of contiguous office space available in Washington. The General Services Administration is bidding for the space against CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield, which is also looking to house its 1,275 employees in the city.

BioSmart Excelerator, a 30,000- to 50,000-sf intermediate incubator for mezzanine bioscience companies, is being planned for Montgomery County, Md., by the former director of Maryland’s Technology Development Center, Duc Duong. Once funds are raised, BioSpace Development of Pittsburgh will design the facility. Duong will build nine more second-stage incubators in the next 10 years if the original concept is successful.

The University of San Diego broke ground in May 2001 on the new four-story, 150,000-sf Science and Technology Center. The $47-million building will contain state-of-the-art labs, a vivarium, a greenhouse, aquariums, an astronomy deck, and a large conference area. San Diego architects Carrier-Johnson designed the facility, which is being built by Rudolph/Sletten. Completion is anticipated by 2003.

Western Michigan University’s new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Research Building has been designed and engineered by HarleyEllis of Southfield, Mich., in collaboration with design consultant Rossetti Architects of Birmingham, Mich. It houses teaching, lab, and support spaces for the College’s six departments. The $56-million, 350,000-sf facility is situated within the University’s newly developed Business-Technology Research Park in Kalamazoo. The building is designed with three wings radiating from a central hub that houses lecture halls and common areas.