Industry News

Merck Serono and U.S. affiliate EMD Serono initiated construction in fall of 2008 on a $78 million research expansion in Billerica, Ma. The 125,000-sf project is slated for completion in late 2010 and will include laboratories for pharmaceutical discovery and production.

The University of South Carolina broke ground in late 2008 on the $30 million Horizon II facility in Columbia, S.C. The five-story, 110,000-sf building is being built by general contractor Kirco. Completion is expected in 2009. Two five-story academic and research buildings, Horizon I and Discovery I, are also expected to reach completion in 2009.

The Department of Energy is constructing the $224 million Physical Sciences Facility for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. The three-building, 200,000-sf project includes facilities for radiation detection, materials science and technology, and nuclear and chemical weapons compliance testing. Ground was broken on the project in August of 2007 with construction commencing in August of 2008. Completion is expected in 2010.

Pennsylvania State University is constructing the $121 million Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. Slated for occupancy in spring of 2009, the facility will house clinical and basic science research laboratories and instructional facilities for the College of Medicine.

Covidien, a pharmaceutical and healthcare products manufacturer, is expanding its St. Louis County operations. In Maryland Heights, a $72 million expansion will add over 12,000-sf to the existing 364,000-sf facility, including 5,000-sf for radiopharmaceutical production. Construction will begin in 2009 with completion expected in 2011. The project team includes CH2M Hill Lockwood Greene of Englewood, Colo., and general contractor McGrath & Associates of St. Louis.