Industry News

The University of California, San Francisco is planning a 150,000-sf neurosurgery, urology and cancer center serving advanced research. The $85-million building, still in a "very preliminary" stage, could be located on the University's Mt. Zion campus in San Francisco. The neurological research building will be accompanied by a $600-million project replacing existing hospitals due to cramped medical research space and inadequate seismic standards. After plans are approved, it could take at least 10 years to open the new hospital facilities.

Ardent Pharmaceuticals plans to develop 10,000 sf in Durham adjacent to 15,000 sf that Ardent relocated to last year from its Research Triangle Institute location. Development awaits completion of an upcoming round of clinical trials and could begin as early as July. Ardent, formerly Delta Pharmaceuticals, manufactures chronic pain medication and is expecting to employ 48 workers by early 2003.   

Telecommunications firm Ericsson has awarded Advantis Real Estate Services the contract to provide strategic facilities planning, technical support, and full-service facilities maintenance for its new Raleigh campus.   

Dutch firm Qiagen's 200,000-sf Germantown manufacturing facility and U.S. headquarters will be operational in late February 2002 after two years of construction. The biotech firm plans to hire 300 employees, one-third of whom will work in R&D operations and two-thirds in manufacturing. Qiagen Sciences, Qiagen's U.S. subsidiary, makes products and tools for life science research.

Fortress Development has selected RTKL of Baltimore to provide design, master-planning, architecture, engineering, and telecommunications services for its 425-acre Loudoun County data center and office complex. Slated to begin construction in late 2002, the $500-million project, known as CYBERPLEX@DULLES, will feature a 110,000-sf multiple-tenant data center or office building.