Biomedical

Construction began in October of 2020 on the $44.2 million Discovery Square 2 building in Rochester, Minn. Designed by RSP Architects, the 125,000-sf facility will offer leasable research environments for life science companies. Sited in the Destination Medical Center district, the five-story structure will feature advanced laboratory infrastructure, centralized common spaces, and a physical connection to the adjacent One Discovery Square building.

King Street Properties has fully leased a 214,440-sf research facility in Lexington, Mass., to four pharmaceutical companies. Designed by R E Dinneen Architects & Planners, the four-story building will offer leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical research. JLL is the leasing agent for the development, which has yet to open. Tenants include:

The University of Nevada, Reno opened the $92 million William N. Pennington Engineering Building in August of 2020. Designed by H+K Architects, the 100,000-sf facility offers dedicated space for the departments of chemical and materials engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. The collaborative four-story building provides 40 labs, a 200-seat classroom, two computer labs, 40 faculty offices, and 150 graduate student workstations.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies broke ground in August of 2020 on the $55 million Advanced Therapies Innovation Center in College Station, Texas. Representing an expansion of Fujifilm's cGMP manufacturing campus, the 60,000-sf facility will feature dedicated labs for process development and innovation. Research environments with BSL-2 capabilities will integrate advanced technologies for upstream, downstream, and analytical development.

Nagasaki University is planning to build a BSL-4 laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 research. The biocontainment facility will be located in an eight-story, 43,000-sf building providing specialized environments for the detection, study, and mitigation of infectious diseases. A dedicated area will accommodate novel coronavirus research. The Japanese government is expected to award $9.5 million in funding for fiscal year 2021 towards the construction of the project, which will also support training programs and the development of human resources.

Codiak BioSciences is constructing a 12,000-sf clinical manufacturing center in Lexington, Mass. The project includes the build-out of a leased lab and office building to create a GMP facility for the production of exosome therapeutics. Codiak is incorporating G-CON Manufacturing's PODs into the center to provide flexible cleanroom capacity. The prefabricated units offer exceptional scalability and mobility, and can be easily repurposed to meet future needs.

16 Tech Community Corporation opened the $50 million Innovation Building 1 in August of 2020 in Indianapolis. Developed by Browning, the 120,000-sf facility was constructed by Davis & Associates and is now fully leased. The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute is occupying 67,000 sf on the first three floors of the building. The five-story structure will accommodate the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, as well as providing 12,000 sf of research space for Indiana University's Center for Regenerative Medicine.

CRISPR Therapeutics signed a full-building lease in July of 2020 for a 263,500-sf facility in Boston's Seaport district. Breakthrough Properties is the developer for the project, which was designed by Payette to provide best-in-class laboratory environments for life science research. Both LEED Gold and Fitwel certification will be sought for the structure, which will offer multiple amenities including outdoor terraces and a fitness center.

Saint Louis University opened the $50 million Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Building in August of 2020 in St. Louis. Designed by Hastings+Chivetta with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the three-story, 90,000-sf facility features a full-height atrium, 10,000 sf of research space, and an active learning classroom that can accommodate up to 210 students.

Lincoln Property Company broke ground in July of 2020 on a 140,000-sf life science building in Waltham, Mass. Designed by DiMella Shaffer in collaboration with AHA Consulting Engineers, the four-story structure will offer 35,000 sf of flexible and customizable office and laboratory space on each floor. A robust mechanical penthouse will support the installation of sophisticated infrastructure, and highly resilient energy and telecommunications services will be ensured by an onsite emergency power supply.

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult is planning to create the Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree in the United Kingdom. Supported by £100 million in government funding, the project will enable mass production of a COVID-19 vaccine. An existing pharmaceutical plant has been purchased from Benchmark Holdings at a cost of £16 million. The structure's GMP infrastructure for antigen production, formulation, process development, and scale manufacturing will be repurposed and enhanced. Completion is expected in December of 2021.

DiNAQOR AG completed construction in July of 2020 on a 9,687-sf R&D center in Schlieren, Switzerland. Located in the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zürich, the BSL-2 facility will enable DiNAQOR to fast-track the development of its human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and engineered heart tissue platform. Accelerating the creation of next-generation genetic medicine methodologies, the project also provides sophisticated infrastructure to further optimize the company's proprietary locoregional heart perfusion approach.

Cleveland Clinic Florida opened the 107,000-sf Florida Research & Innovation Center in July of 2020 in Port St. Lucie. Accelerating the translation of medical discoveries into innovative therapeutics for clinical treatment, the facility will provide leading-edge laboratories for research programs in immuno-oncology and infectious diseases, such as Zika virus and SARS-CoV-2. The center includes BSL-3 biocontainment suites, administrative offices, meeting rooms, and an area for training programs. 

Winstanley Enterprises is planning to build a $100 million bioscience research building in New Haven, Conn. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the 10-story, 500,000-sf facility will provide leasable laboratory and office environments for life science companies and academic institutions. Featuring a large public plaza, the project will include a conference center, a 50,000-sf business incubator, and a classroom for K-12 educational programs.

MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck, is planning to expand its existing campus in Buchs, Switzerland, with the construction of a $20 million laboratory for the company's reference materials business. Accommodating 40 employees, the three-story, 12,000-sf structure will provide analytical and R&D suites for the testing of pharmaceuticals, environmental materials, and food and beverage products.