Industry News

Morphotek, the first biotech company to graduate from the Port of Technology incubator in West Philadelphia, will occupy a 41,000-sf facility in Exton. Previously located in 2,000 sf in the University City Science Center's Port of Technology building, the genomics-based life sciences company's agricultural technologies require land on which to grow crops. At present, 20,000-sf of the new Chester County headquarters are ready, and Morphotek plans to outfit the remainder for small-scale manufacturing over the next year.  Expansion at the new site

Cambridge-based biotech Genzyme will consolidate several area facilities with the lease of 85,800 sf in Westborough. Space allocation in the building, owned by EMC Corp., will be 25% lab and 75% office. The facility will house the Genzyme Genetics division relocated from Framingham. Genzyme's relocation represents pure growth, as other Genzyme operations will be housed in the vacated space.

The University of Maryland has selected the Baltimore office of Cannon Design to design a 200,000-sf educational center at its Shady Grove Campus. Computer classrooms, laboratories, and administrative and faculty offices will be housed at the new center.

Kaiser Permanente has opted to relocate its Northern California optical lab from Berkeley to Richmond instead of consolidating with a Southern California Kaiser lab. The 39,000-sf Richmond facility will house administration and manufacturing operations and will employ 140.

New England Biolabs has selected Boston-based Jung/Brannen Associates as architect of record for the design of its new 150,000-sf Ipswich laboratory building. The firm will collaborate with Weston Williamson of London to create the three-story R&D facility.