Biotechnology

BioLegend broke ground in August of 2017 on a $100 million expansion of its Sorrento Mesa campus in San Diego. Designed by Delawie to optimize workflow adjacencies, the project includes renovation of an existing 44,000-sf facility and construction of a four-story, 90,000-sf lab and office building and adjacent parking structure. Featuring flexible open labs to enhance collaboration, the new facility will include an atrium and a 500-person multipurpose room that opens onto a green roof. The central plant will also be expanded.

Pitt Community College dedicated the $17 million Walter & Marie Williams Science Center Building in August of 2017 in Winterville, N.C. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 79,000-sf facility provides 11 labs, 10 classrooms, and a 120-seat lecture auditorium. The building also includes a biotechnology center housing a pharmaceutical training suite, a cell culture lab, a cleanroom, teaching labs, and research space. The duration of construction was two years. 

Mayo Clinic is planning to locate three research centers in a four-story facility on the Destination Medical Center campus in Rochester, Minn. Designed by HOK and RSP Architects, the project will be built, owned, and operated by M.A. Mortenson. The Mayo Clinic will be the anchor tenant in the 89,000-sf building, which will accommodate the Center for Individualized Medicine, the Center for Regenerative Medicine, and the Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery.

Eli Lilly completed a $90 million expansion of its San Diego biotechnology center in June of 2017. The 180,000-sf facility features the Life Science studio, a technology-rich laboratory suite supporting advanced drug discovery and development. Promoting global collaboration and innovation in the design, synthesis, and screening of molecules, the center will accommodate research in immunology, diabetes, oncology, and neurodegeneration. 

Monsanto is planning to build a $30 million agricultural research facility in Greenwood, Mo. Supporting the processing, packaging, and distribution of seeds, the 140,000-sf project will integrate advanced automation systems in its third year of operations. Construction will begin on the facility in August of 2017 with occupancy in early 2018. 

The University of Southern California completed construction in June of 2017 on the $185 million Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience in Los Angeles. The 190,000-sf translational research facility offers collaborative labs and offices for 30 principal investigators, as well as housing a 7,200-sf microscopy imaging suite and a 10,000-sf nanofabrication cleanroom offering Class 100 and 1,000 capabilities.

The University of Texas at Dallas is constructing a 200,000-gsf engineering facility on its Richardson campus. Designed by SmithGroup JJR to promote collaboration, the project will provide 120,000 assignable square feet for the Department of Mechanical Engineering including research labs, teaching labs, classrooms, faculty offices, student work areas, and a 300-seat auditorium. The building will offer a mix of high-bay, wet, dry, and core laboratories to support research programs in energy, robotics, and nanobiotechnology.

Just Biotherapeutics is integrating PODs® made by G-CON Manufacturing into the construction of its biologics manufacturing building in China. Located in the Hangzhou Economic & Technology Development Area (HEDA), the cGMP plant will utilize the prefabricated cleanroom units to create a highly flexible and efficient facility. Completion is expected by early 2018.

Sanofi and Lonza initiated a joint venture in March of 2017 to create a $285 million biologics manufacturing center in Visp, Switzerland. The strategic partnership leverages Lonza’s expertise in designing, constructing, and managing large-scale mammalian cell culture facilities with Sanofi’s strength in the discovery and launch of biologics-based treatments. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 on the initial phase of the project, with full operations commencing by 2020.

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) announced the annual winners for the Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) program in February of 2017. The category winners were:

The State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University opened the final phase of its Biotech Accelerator in September of 2016. Located in Syracuse, N.Y., the 60,000-sf facility was designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative and constructed by Murnane Building Contractors. Providing wet labs, dry labs, and core research space with shared equipment, the project houses the Medical Innovation and Novel Discovery (MIND) Center and the Molecular Pathology Next Generation Sequencing Lab.

Solano Community College is constructing a $34.5 million science and biotechnology training building. Located adjacent to Genentech’s campus in Vacaville, Calif., the 32,200-sf facility will feature simulated production suites for immersive education to support a four-year degree program in biotech manufacturing. The project was designed by SmithGroupJJR and is being built by Rudolph & Sletten.

The College of William & Mary opened the third phase of the Integrated Science Center (ISC3) in September of 2016 in Williamsburg, Va. Accommodating programs in applied science, biology, chemistry, psychology, neuroscience, and computer modeling, the $74 million interdisciplinary facility features 13 chemistry research labs, four teaching labs, instrumentation suites, a computational lab, a biological sciences makerspace, a spectroscopy lab, and a complete machine shop.

GE Healthcare is planning to create a $167 million biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Ringaskiddy, Ireland. Featuring GE's prefabricated KUBio™ facilities, GE BioPark Cork will include four KUBio factories owned by independent biopharma companies. GE will manage the campus as well as providing centralized shared utilities and site services. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2017.

The University of Saskatchewan will begin construction in fall of 2016 on the CAD$63 million Collaborative Science Research Building in Saskatoon. The facility will accommodate research on water security and plant science, enabling the development of advanced biofuels, water purification systems, drought-resistant crops, and sustainable pest-control mechanisms. Completion is expected in spring of 2018.