Industry News

The University of Wisconsin will begin construction in mid-2010 on the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the 200,000-sf facility will support renewable energy research. M.A. Mortenson Co. is the general contractor for the project.

Ruhr University will begin construction in 2010 on the 65,000-sf European Protein Research Institute in Bochum, Germany. Supported by $53 million in funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the facility will support research on protein biomarkers for cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases. Completion is expected in 2013. The building will house approximately 150 researchers and staff.

Michigan State University will begin construction in May of 2010 on the $43.2 million Plant Science Expansion in Lansing. The 90,000-sf, four-story structure will house open laboratories, plant growth chambers, and computational research space. Completion is expected in late 2011.

The National Institutes of Health has selected Perkins & Will to design the second phase of the Porter Neuroscience Research Center in Bethesda, Md. The construction cost is estimated at $150 million. Slated for completion in the third quarter of 2013, the project will provide generic laboratories, offices, animal holding facilities, and conference rooms. The completed Porter Neuroscience Research Center will encompass 600,000 sf. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Syngenta Biotechnology initiated construction on a research and development facility in Beijing in December of 2009. The project represents an investment of $5 million over five years. The center will support research in crop genetics and biofuels.