Industry News

Solexant Corp. will develop a $108 million photovoltaic manufacturing plant in Gresham, Ore. The facility will be housed in an existing 125,000-sf building and will produce ultra-thin film with nanocrystal technology. Production will begin in 2011.

Genzyme Corp. is planning a 757,000-sf expansion of its existing campus in Framingham, Mass. Construction will begin between 2015 and 2018 on 400,000 sf of additional research space, with another 360,000 sf of office, manufacturing, and parking space breaking ground mid-decade. A $300 million, 55,000-sf drug production plant and a six-story, 185,000-sf quality control lab will open in July of 2011.

East Tennessee State University is initiating a renovation of its basic science and clinical research facilities in Johnson City. Supported by $9.1 million in federal stimulus funding, the project will renovate laboratories in the 105,000-sf Building 119. Infrastructure upgrades will replace outdated mechanical and electrical systems and specialized laboratories will be constructed for microscopy, tissue culture, and animal research.

Kaiser Permanente broke ground on the 436,000-sf San Leandro Medical Center on July 12, 2010. Replacing Kaiser’s existing Hayward facility, the six-story acute care hospital will provide 264 beds, 10 operating rooms, an emergency department, a neonatal ICU, and outpatient care. Completion is expected in 2013.

The Forsyth Institute will renovate 8,935 sf adjacent to its new Kendall Square facility in Boston to create the Center for Discovery at the Host-Biofilm Interface (CHBI). Supported by $3 million in federal stimulus funding, the interdisciplinary project will house oral health research programs in areas including microbiology, molecular genetics, microbial informatics, and immunology.