Pharmaceutical

Piramal Pharma Solutions broke ground in February of 2022 on a £45 million antibody drug conjugate (ADC) facility in Grangemouth, Scotland. Accommodating both manufacturing and aseptic fill/finish operations, the structure will provide additional capacity for the creation of targeted cancer treatments and other innovative therapies. Representing an expansion of Piramal's existing ADC campus, the project is being delivered by Merit using its FlexiPOD V4.0 platform.

Vibalogics completed construction in December of 2021 on a $150 million virotherapy facility in Boxborough, Mass. Sited on 145 acres, the next-generation manufacturing plant supports commercial production of oncolytic viruses, viral vector vaccines, and viral vector gene therapy products. The highly flexible structure incorporates 2,000-liter bioreactors, multiple cGMP production suites, offices, warehouse space, and labs for research, development, and quality control.

Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners are planning to construct a 353,000-sf life sciences facility in Somerville, Mass. Offering 346,000 sf of leading-edge lab space for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants, the 11-story structure will include 7,000 sf of retail space and below-grade parking for 242 cars.

Phase 3 Real Estate Partners and Bain Capital are constructing the Genesis Marina life sciences campus in Brisbane, Calif. Providing over 570,000 rsf of Class A laboratory and office space, the three-building complex will offer floor plates of up to 42,000 sf serviced by robust MEP infrastructure.

Pfizer opened a $68.5 million clinical manufacturing facility in December of 2021 in Durham. Accommodating the company's BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences division, the 85,500-sf project will support the creation of gene therapies for the treatment of hemophilia A, hemophilia B, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and other diseases. Leveraging single-use bioreactors to enable scalable expansion over time, the structure provides multiple drug substance suites, analytical and microbiology labs, and areas for manufacturing and filling. 

Washington University School of Medicine will break ground in spring of 2022 on a $150 million vertical expansion of the Steven & Susan Lipstein BJC Institute of Health in St. Louis. Designed by Lawrence Group to promote collaboration and discovery, the six-story, 160,000-sf addition will provide 103,000 sf of biomedical research space and a 7,900-sf BSL-3 laboratory for the study of infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 and tuberculosis.

Genentech has agreed to a whole-building lease for a 229,000-sf life sciences facility at Gateway Commons in South San Francisco. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Boston Properties, 751 Gateway will provide leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Featuring best-in-class amenities, the collaborative structure represents the first phase of a vibrant biomedical campus. Construction is ongoing with initial occupancy expected in early 2024. 

BeiGene is planning to break ground in 2022 on a pharmaceutical manufacturing and research center in Hopewell, N.J. Located on the Princeton West Innovation Campus, the integrated complex will provide 400,000 sf of dedicated space for commercial-stage production of innovative cancer therapies. Offering up to 16,000 liters of biologics capacity, the facility will also include clinical R&D labs and collaborative office environments. IPS is the architect and engineer for the project, which will be built by DPR Construction.

AstraZeneca opened The Discovery Centre in November of 2021 in the United Kingdom. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron and BDP, the £1 billion R&D facility can accommodate over 2,200 investigators engaged in the creation of next-generation therapeutics and innovative precision medicines. Integrating advanced robotic and AI-driven technologies, the 580,000-sf project is strategically sited on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to promote collaboration and convergence with neighboring institutions and industry partners. 

East Carolina University opened the $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building in November of 2021 in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 141,500-sf facility provides leading-edge wet and dry labs for programs in biotechnology, bioprocessing engineering, biophysics, environmental engineering, biofuels, plant biology, environmental biology, and imaging and sensor development.

Autolus Therapeutics broke ground in November of 2021 on a £66 million cell manufacturing facility in Stevenage in the United Kingdom. Accommodating the production of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells for the treatment of cancer, the 80,730-sf project is being built by Merit using modular offsite construction methodology to significantly accelerate the construction timeline and reduce carbon emissions.

Amgen broke ground in November of 2021 on a $365 million biomanufacturing plant in New Albany, Ohio. Created by the design-build team of CRB and Turner Construction, the smart factory will leverage advanced automation technologies to optimize the assembly and packaging of injectable medicines. The 270,000-sf facility will accommodate 400 new employees and an array of collaborative and industrial robots.

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the third quarter of 2021. Key points include:

Sterling Bay began construction in October of 2021 on a 320,000-sf life sciences center in Chicago. Designed by Gensler, the eight-story ALLY building will provide leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. With 15’ floor-to-floor heights, the 280,000-rsf project will offer flexible floor plates of approximately 42,000 sf.

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies broke ground in October of 2021 on a $2 billion production facility in Holly Springs, N.C. Enabling large-scale cell culture manufacturing for the creation of bulk drug substances, the structure will accommodate eight 20,000-liter bioreactors with the expansion potential for a further 24 20,000-liter bioreactors to meet market demand. Powered by clean energy, the sustainably designed complex will feature advanced systems for waste disposal and recycling.