Industry News

Pioneer Hi-Bred will begin construction in April of 2010 on a new research facility in Hermiston, Ore. The project will enable Pioneer to expand its agricultural R&D operations with a focus on the creation of corn hybrid products. Pioneer Hi-Bred is a DuPont business based in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Kingdom of Jordan is partnering with Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Daewoo Engineering and Construction to build a nuclear research complex in Irbid. The facility will include a 5-megawatt reactor, a radioactive isotope manufacturing facility, and a nuclear training center. The $130 million complex will be located at Jordan University for Science and Technology and is slated for completion in 2014.

Isis Pharmaceuticals is expanding its operations in Carlsbad, Calif., with the lease of an additional 176,000-sf research facility. The building will be constructed by BioMed Realty Trust. The research facility will enable Isis to consolidate the majority of its drug discovery, development, and manufacturing operations in a single location.

Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine officially broke ground on its $126 million stem cell research facility in San Diego on March 26, 2010. The 145,000-sf center is expected to open in September of 2011. The four-story facility will provide collaborative research laboratories for Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Scripps Research Institute, and U.C. San Diego.

The Center for Urban Waters opened in Tacoma, Wash., in April of 2010. The $38 million facility will support environmental science research for the University of Washington and Washington State University Puyallup as well as state and local agencies. The 51,000-sf building was designed by Perkins+Will with Turner Construction as general contractor. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility. Ground was broken on the three-story project in April of 2009.