Industry News

Louisiana Tech University will break ground by December of 2010 on a 42,000-sf facility for the College of Business in Ruston. Supported by $12.4 million in state funding, the facility will house two auditoriums, classrooms, offices, computer labs, conference rooms, and research space. The project architect is Yeager, Watson and Associates of Alexandria, Va.

The National Nuclear Security Administration will break ground in August of 2010 on the $4.76 billion National Security Campus in Kansas City, Mo. The five-building, 1.5 million-sf research and manufacturing facility will produce defense materials and technologies. Phased occupancy will begin in 2012 and reach completion in 2014.

Medical device manufacturer Irvine Scientific opened its Industrial Cell Culture media production facility in Tokyo in July of 2010. The 1,720-sm building will manufacture the company's cell culture media for production of biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. Adhering to both ISO and FDA regulations, the facility will have the capacity to produce 600,000 kg of powdered media per year. Completion is expected in early 2011.

The Port of Grays Harbor will construct a research and development incubator in Grays Harbor City, Wash. Designed by MSGS Architects of Olympia, Wash., the $1 million project will provide 21,000 sf of laboratory space by renovating an existing warehouse and office facility. The collaborative research building is expected to open in November of 2010. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Emergent BioSolutions was awarded a contract by the Department of Health and Human Services to expand anthrax vaccine production at its facility in Lansing, Mich. The contract was awarded by the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and will increase manufacturing capacity to 26 million doses per year. The value of the contract is estimated at $107 million over five years.