Industry News

Merit Medical Systems began construction in October of 2011 on an 118,000-sf R&D facility in Pearland, Texas. The two-story building will house 220 employees. Based in South Jordan, Utah, Merit Medical Systems is a maker of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures.

Pioneer Hi-Bred will open a 50,000-sf seed research facility in Dallas Center, Iowa. The project will support agricultural product development and testing. Occupancy is expected in late spring of 2012. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer Hi-Bred is a subsidiary of DuPont.

California State University, Long Beach opened the $105 million Hall of Science in late September of 2011. Housing the departments of biological sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, astronomy, geology, physics, and science education, the 165,000-sf facility houses 31 directed studies laboratories, 29 teaching labs, lecture halls, and a learning center. Ground was broken on the project in 2008. Partial funding for the Hall of Science was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 

The Jackson Laboratory is planning to build a $1.1 billion animal research facility on the University of Connecticut Health Center's Farmington campus. The first phase of the project will include a 173,000-sf facility housing laboratory and vivarium space. The public-private partnership will support biomedical research for the creation of personalized medicine solutions. Construction will begin in early 2013 with completion expected in late 2014. The completed Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine will eventually total 250,000 sf.

Winthrop University Hospital will build a $65 million research facility in Mineola, N.Y. The four-story, 95,000-sf facility will provide space for clinical trials as well as housing laboratories for the study of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2012 with completion expected in 2014.