Pharmaceutical

DYNALABS completed a 15,500-sf expansion of its pharmaceutical testing facility in St. Louis in July of 2016. The $1.5 million project added wet and dry labs, offices, conference rooms, a glass wash, sample management and inspection areas, and storage and distribution space. Designed and constructed by The Artisan Building Co., the facility was delivered for less than half of the original cost estimates from other contractors, enabling DYNALABS to invest in further capital improvements such as the planned renovation of an existing cleanroom.

AstraZeneca is building the £750 million Global R&D Centre and Corporate Headquarters on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the United Kingdom. Providing advanced facilities for pharmaceutical discovery and development, the 580,000-sf project will include space for biologics research, high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, pre-clinical research, and clinical studies. Designed to optimize interaction and connectivity, the collaborative 11-acre campus will accommodate approximately 2,000 employees and will include an on-site energy center.

Pfizer broke ground in late June of 2016 on the $350 million Global Biotechnology Center in China. Located in the Hangzhou Economic Development Area (HEDA), the facility will manufacture pharmaceutical biosimilars, which are drugs designed with similar active properties to existing licensed therapies. The project will feature a modular production facility created by GE Healthcare that utilizes flexible, single-use biomanufacturing technologies. The duration of construction will be 18 months with completion expected in early 2018.

Pfizer broke ground in June of 2016 on a $200 million clinical manufacturing facility for complex biologics and vaccines in Andover, Mass. The five-story, 175,000-sf facility is expected to be fully operational by January of 2019 and will accommodate 75 employees. Designed for maximum flexibility, the project will feature five independent production suites that utilize next-generation manufacturing strategies including single-use bioreactors and disposable process technologies.

Pepperl+Fuchs began construction in June of 2016 on a 110,000-sf operations hub in Katy, Texas. Located in the West Ten Business Park, the $25 million project will act as the company’s regional headquarters and features an expanded engineering center, warehouse and distribution facilities, and a customer training area. Completion is expected in spring of 2017. Pepperl+Fuchs creates customized process automation solutions for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries.

JHL Biotech opened a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in May of 2016 in Wuhan, China. Featuring single-use bioprocessing technologies, the cGMP facility utilizes GE Healthcare's prefabricated KUBio system to produce biosimilars and monoclonal antibodies for late–stage clinical trials and commercial supply. The project was completed in just 18 months.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies opened a 62,000-sf biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in May of 2016 in Morrisville, N.C. Accommodating collaborative research and development, the three-story BioProcess Innovation Center supports the creation and production of advanced proteins, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. The project team included Alexandria Real Estate Equities and KBR Building Group. Ground was broken on the project in January of 2015.

Valent BioSciences is planning to construct the Biorational Research Center at Innovation Park in Libertyville, Ill. Enabling the consolidation of the company's chemistry, biology, microbiology, fermentation, and formulations labs in a single location, the $22 million project includes the buildout of 65,000 sf to create labs and offices as well as the construction of a 10,000-sf research greenhouse. Completion is expected in mid-2017. Valent BioSciences is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Company.

EMD Serono broke ground in May of 2016 on a $12 million expansion of its biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Billerica, Mass. Accommodating 120 employees, the two-story, 30,000-sf facility will support the development of advanced therapies for the treatment of cancer and immunological conditions. The project will be constructed as an extension of the existing Sagamore Building and will feature open-plan work areas, a central auditorium, and numerous meeting spaces, including bleacher seating for spontaneous collaboration and interaction.

Shire Pharmaceuticals will begin construction in mid-2016 on a new biologics manufacturing campus in Piercetown, Ireland. Sited on 120 acres in County Meath, the project is part of Shire's $400 million investment over four years to expand its biopharmaceutical production capacity. The facility will utilize advanced bioprocessing technologies and will accommodate over 400 employees. Operations will commence at the site in mid-2019.

Global pharmaceutical manufacturer Lonza began construction in April of 2016 on a 100,000-sf facility in Pearland, Texas. Featuring a fully segregated fill/finish suite, the project will include eight independent cGMP modular cleanrooms with single-use bioreactors for the production of viral gene and virally modified therapeutics. Grade-B cleanrooms will also be constructed to continue the manufacture of EMA-regulated cell therapy products. Operations are expected to begin at the site in mid-2017.

Novo Nordisk broke ground in March of 2016 on a $1.8 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Clayton, N.C. Built by Fluor Corporation, the 833,000-sf facility will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for diabetes treatments and will accommodate 700 employees. Construction is slated for completion in 2019 with full operations commencing in 2021. Novo Nordisk is based in Bagsvaerd, Denmark.

WuXi PharmaTech will begin construction in spring of 2015 on a 145,000-sf cGMP facility in Philadelphia. The project is expected to be operational by mid-2016 and will support the manufacture of cell therapy products for personalized medicine, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells.

Novartis and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine celebrated the opening of the $27 million Center for Advanced Cellular Therapeutics in February of 2016 in Philadelphia. Accommodating the production of personalized cancer treatments using chimeric antigen receptor technology, the 30,000-sf facility features 23,610 sf of laboratory and cell therapy manufacturing space as well as a 6,300-sf cleanroom.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals broke ground in April of 2016 on a $200 million manufacturing plant in Norton, Mass. Featuring RNA synthesis technologies with advanced purification methods, the 200,000-sf facility will accommodate up to 220 workers engaged in the production of innovative therapeutic agents. Jacobs Engineering Group will provide engineering and procurement services for the project. Completion is expected in 2018.