Biotechnology

Northwestern University dedicated the $100 million Richard and Barbara Silverman Hall for Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostics in Evanston, Ill., in November of 2009. The 147,000-gsf interdisciplinary research facility houses the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute and approximately 245 researchers and staff from the physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering. Comprised of four stories above ground and one below, Silverman Hall will support collaborative biomedical research and the creation of new medicines and technologies.

DuPont Pioneer Hi-Bred is planning to construct a 22,000-sf research facility in Ithaca, N.Y. Housing laboratories, administrative offices, and conference rooms, the facility will support testing and development of corn hybrids. Pioneer Hi-Bred is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.

The University of Colorado broke ground in September of 2009 on the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building in Boulder. The construction cost of the 257,000-sf facility is estimated at between $120 million and $145 million. Designed to foster interdisciplinary biomedical research, the Biotechnology Building will house scientists from eight departments. Occupancy is stated for fall of 2011. An additional 54,000-sf wing may be built in a second construction phase.

The N.C. Biotechnology Center has selected Skanska to manage construction of a $10.4 million addition to its headquarters in Research Triangle Park. Designed by Perkins + Will of Charlotte, the four-story, 20,000-sf expansion will house office and conference space. Construction will begin in October of 2009 and reach completion in fall of 2010. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Monsanto began construction in August of 2009 on a $12 million breeding center adjacent to its existing Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg. Located in the SmartPark Research and Technology Park on the University of Manitoba campus, the 29,000-sf facility will house laboratories, offices, greenhouses, growth chambers, and tissue culture facilities for the development of canola hybrids. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Occupancy is expected by December of 2010.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College broke ground on a $26 million biotechnology education and training facility in Kannapolis, N.C., in May of 2009. Designed by Creech and Associates, the 62,000-sf building is being constructed on the North Carolina Research Campus by developer Castle & Cooke. Occupancy is expected in August of 2010.

Lonza Group will begin construction in early 2010 on a cell therapy production facility in Singapore. Located in the Tuas Biomedical Park, the CHF 30 million project will house cGMP cell therapeutics manufacturing facilities. Completion is expected in early 2011.

The University of Utah broke ground in April of 2009 on the $130 million James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in Salt Lake City. Anchoring the University’s new Interdisciplinary Quadrangle, the 200,000-sf research facility will feature advanced imaging and nanotechnology laboratories and a 20,000-sf nanofabrication suite. Comprised of five stories, one below grade, the facility will house flexible open labs and four specialty core labs for small animal imaging, biomedical microscopy, engineering microscopy, and nanofabrication.

Bayer MaterialScience initiated construction in January of 2009 on a €22 million carbon nanotube manufacturing plant at its headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany. The catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) plant will be the largest facility of its kind worldwide and is slated for completion in summer of 2009. The project will have a production capacity of 200 tons per year.

The University of Rhode Island opened the $60 million Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences (CBLS) in Kingston in January of 2009. The 140,000-sf facility broke ground in March 2007 and includes classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices, a business incubator, a 300-seat auditorium, and support areas for DNA sequencing. The CBLS features a four-story atrium that connects a research wing and a teaching wing. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Ivy Tech Community College opened the Indiana Center for the Life Sciences in Bloomington in January of 2009. Created in partnership with the Monroe County government, the facility houses classrooms and training facilities for life sciences education. The 20,000-sf center was designed in collaboration with the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership and accommodates classes in biotechnology, biology, chemistry, microbiology, biomedical technology, and advanced manufacturing. The facility houses four labs, three classrooms, and a manufacturing suite.

The University of Massachusetts, Lowell is planning to construct the $100 million Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC). Designed by CUH2A, the 100,000-sf project will house academic instruction, bio- and nano-manufacturing space, R&D laboratories, and a business incubator. LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility.

DNAVision, an applied genetics and genomics services company, completed an expansion of its campus in Charleroi-Gosselies, Belgium, in January of 2009. Doubling laboratory and office space, the project added five new lab areas for cell culture and nucleic acid extraction. Supporting the company’s RNA- and DNA-based analytical techniques, the expansion will enable DNAVision to provide GMP certified assays. Additionally, subsidiary DNAVision AgriFood will relocate to a new facility in early 2009.

Virginia Tech is building the $24 million Institute for Critical Technologies & Applied Science (ICTAS) Phase II in Blacksburg, Va. The three-story, 43,000-gsf facility will house specialized labs for applied and fundamental research in bioengineering, biomaterials,and bio-nanotechnology. The project will accommodate the development of communications and sensor technologies and includes offices and support spaces. Virginia Tech is also constructing the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) Facility Addition.

The University of Rhode Island (URI) is building the $60 million Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences in Kingston. The 140,000-sf facility broke ground in March 2007 and is slated for completion in 2009. The architect for the facility is Payette Associates of Boston with Providence-based Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager. The project includes classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, a business incubator, a 300-seat auditorium, and support areas for DNA sequencing.