Butler University will begin construction in summer of 2019 on a $100 million renovation and expansion project to upgrade its science facilities in Indianapolis. The first phase of construction comprises a connecting structure joining the Holcomb building to Gallahue Hall.
Northwestern University opened the $560 million Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago in June of 2019. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 12-story, 625,000-sf facility provides the Feinberg School of Medicine with integrated laboratory neighborhoods for the study of cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
The U.S. Air Force broke ground in June of 2019 on the $12.8 million Space Control Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. The 26,000-sf facility will enable the Air Force Research Laboratory to consolidate operations currently sited in six disparate locations at the site.
Boston College will begin construction in fall of 2019 on the $150 million Integrated Science Building in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Designed by Payette, the five-story, 156,500-sf facility will house the school’s new engineering and computer science departments as well as accommodating the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.
Aldevron will begin construction in August of 2019 on a 14-acre biologics campus in Fargo, N.D., where it is currently headquartered. The first phase comprises a two-story, 189,000-sf facility for the manufacture of plasmid DNA, proteins, mRNA, and antibodies. Increasing Aldevron’s GMP and GMP-Source™ production capacity up to tenfold, the structure will connect to the company's existing GMP facility and is expected to be fully operational by early 2021.
With demand for human donor organs historically and increasingly outpacing the available, viable supply, researchers and physicians have looked for decades at xenotransplantation—cross-species transplantation—as a possible vehicle to overcome the problem. The traditional approach to xenotransplantation, however, is an “impediment to moving transplantation forward,” asserts Karl Kraebber, director of xenotransplantation operations at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. His team believes the solution isn’t in expensive and time-consuming renovation of existing buildings. “Our more novel approach is for flexible, modular spaces, to be used for small pilot trials and then scaled up once we have partnership with our governing agencies,” he says. “We’ll take ‘fast and good’ over ‘slow and perfect’ every time. It doesn’t mean we’re cutting corners.”
The Wistar Institute is partnering with University Place Associates to construct a 240,000-sf life science discovery hub in the University City district of Philadelphia. Designed to accelerate innovation by providing shared resources and critical infrastructure, the collaborative project will provide leasable laboratories and offices for biotech firms, research companies, and academic institutions.
WuXi Biologics began construction in May of 2019 on a $365 million pharmaceutical production facility in Dundalk, Ireland. Sited on 52 acres, the 522,000-sf contract manufacturing center will utilize single-use technologies and processes, enabling cost-effective scale-out and the simultaneous production of multiple batches of varying volumes. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2022 at the site, which will be the company's first manufacturing plant outside of China.
Hackensack Meridian Health opened the Center for Discovery and Innovation in May of 2019 in Nutley, N.J. Located on the ON3 campus adjacent to Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, the 250,000-sf translational research facility will accelerate the creation of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, diabetes, dementia, antibiotic-resistant infections, and autoimmune disorders. The center houses the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Institute for Multiple Myeloma, and the Institute for Cancer and Infectious Disease.
The University of Colorado broke ground in June of 2019 on a $45 million business and engineering expansion in Boulder. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale to break down traditional disciplinary boundaries and foster cross-functional student competencies, the 75,000-sf project includes the creation of an addition linking the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Business.
Iovance Biotherapeutics entered into a lease agreement in May of 2019 to construct a 136,000-sf facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Featuring modular processes for optimal scalability, the building will support commercial and clinical production of therapeutics based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) technologies. The $125 million facility is slated for completion in mid-2021. Iovance will contribute approximately $75 million towards the cost of the building over three years for equipment and construction of the manufacturing suites.
Seattle University broke ground in May of 2019 on the $115 million Center for Science and Innovation. Designed by EYP Architecture and Engineering and Mithūn Image, the five-story, 111,000-sf facility will house the College of Science and Engineering's programs in biology, chemistry, and computer science.
Siemens officially launched the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center in May of 2019 in Chengdu, China. Located in the Chengdu High-tech Zone, the facility houses the Smart Manufacturing Center of Excellence, the Smart Manufacturing Professional Lab, the Industry Solutions Research Center, and the Talent Training Platform.
The Rockefeller University dedicated the $500 million Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus in May of 2019 in New York. The 160,000-sf complex features the $300 million, 135,600-sf Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building which provides flexible labs, two amphitheaters, offices, conference rooms, a dining area, and outdoor terraces. The two-story, horizontally oriented structure was designed to enhance collaboration and can support over 600 scientific staff.
Chugai Pharmaceuticals will begin construction in August of 2019 on a $1.15 billion research and development center in Yokohama, Japan. Consolidating two labs currently sited in Gotemba and Kamakura, the facility will support drug discovery including the creation of therapies based on next-generation antibodies and synthetic macrocycles, also known as middle molecules. The pharmaceutical research center will leverage leading-edge automation processes and artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate the delivery of innovative medicines to patients worldwide.
