Industry News

Merck will begin construction in the third quarter of 2018 on a biologics facility in County Dublin, Ireland. Located on Merck's 33-acre campus in Swords, the project includes the renovation and expansion of an existing 341,000-sf structure to create a 470,000-sf facility offering laboratory, production, and warehouse space. The state-of-the-art pharmaceutical plant will manufacture protein therapeutics derived from mammalian cell cultures. Occupancy is expected in 2021.

The University of California, San Diego broke ground in June of 2018 on the $627 million North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. Covering over 10 acres, the 1.6 million-gsf mixed-use project will provide 2,000 undergraduate beds, 1,200 underground parking spaces, a craft center, and dining and retail amenities. New academic facilities will include the Public Engagement Building to accommodate social sciences programs, and an arts and humanities facility housing the departments of history, literature, and philosophy.

Hackensack Meridian Health opened the $265 million HOPE Tower at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in June of 2018. Located in Neptune, N.J. the 10-story, 300,000-sf cancer research and treatment facility features a 58,000-sf patient care center offering radiation therapy, medical oncology, surgical specialties, and minimally invasive therapies. The tower also includes biomedical research labs, a 6,500-sf simulation training center, a 200-seat conference auditorium, a clinical trials center, and space for academic programs.

Thomas Jefferson University is planning to create the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing in Lower Gwynedd, Pa. Located at Spring House Innovation Park, the 25,000-sf facility is being developed in partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) based in Dublin, Ireland. As the only center of its kind in North America, the project will leverage the renowned NIBRT curriculum to deliver state-of-the-art education and training programs in biopharmaceutical processing to approximately 2,500 people annually.

Purdue University began construction in June of 2018 on a $14 million addition to the Martin C. Jischke Hall of Biomedical Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the 29,500-sf Innovation Wing will provide the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering with open-concept wet labs; translational research labs, including a behavioral core; a multidisciplinary student design lab; and support spaces. The addition will also offer active learning environments, offices for faculty and graduate students, and interactive team areas.