Industry News

St. Mary's College of California has begun fund-raising for a new $17 million School of Economics and Business Administration building. The three-story, 36,500-sf structure will accommodate lecture halls, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and other gathering areas. Construction is slated to begin by summer 2002, with completion in fall 2003. Architect for the building is Ratcliff Architects of Emeryville, Calif.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a new $30 million, 108,380-sf biomedical research facility under construction. The Neuroscience Research Building will accommodate the School of Medicine's Neurosciences Center and the Animal Model Center. The new structure, which replaces the old Biological Sciences Research Center, is scheduled to open in October 2000. HDR Inc., of Alexandria, Va., is the architect for the project. The general contractor is Metric Construction/J.A. Jones.

Paradigm Genetics Inc. opened in March a new 20,000-sf Gene-Function Factory at their $25 million Center for Functional Genomics Research in RTP. The building houses six plant growth rooms with indirect lighting, as well as labs and offices. A second 50,000-sf structure is under construction with completion anticipated in fall 2000. It accommodates growth rooms, labs, offices, and a natural-light greenhouse. A 32,000-sf third building is scheduled to open in October 2000.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. has plans for a 227,000-sf expansion at its headquarters in Hercules. The biotechnology company, which manufactures medical equipment, is expanding its life science division which supplies genomic and proteomic products to research organizations and universities. Additional offices, R&D space, and possibly a commons building are included in the project. Bio-Rad's 67-acre site could accommodate yet another 757,000 sf of construction should that become necessary.

Aventis SA, based in Strasbourg, France, is expanding its Genomics Center in Cambridge. Completion of the $3 million renovation, which will improve lab and office space at the pharmaceutical company, is anticipated in mid-July. Kennedy & Rossi Inc. of Lexington, Mass., is in charge of the project.