Manufacturing

Thomas Jefferson University is planning to create the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing in Lower Gwynedd, Pa. Located at Spring House Innovation Park, the 25,000-sf facility is being developed in partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) based in Dublin, Ireland. As the only center of its kind in North America, the project will leverage the renowned NIBRT curriculum to deliver state-of-the-art education and training programs in biopharmaceutical processing to approximately 2,500 people annually.

Saint-Gobain, a leading manufacturer of innovative building materials, has released the results of an occupant comfort study for its new North American headquarters in Malvern, Pa., a facility that has attained double LEED Platinum certification. Developed in partnership with the University of Oregon’s High Performance Environments Lab (HiPE), the longitudinal study revealed that a systems-based design approach utilizing multiple solutions and strategies can have a stronger collective impact on a building’s ability to optimize occupant comfort.

SAB Biotherapeutics will occupy 41,000 sf in University of South Dakota's Discovery District in Sioux Falls. SAB, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, will locate its corporate headquarters, research labs, and a cGMP suite in the 84,000-sf building, which was designed by Perkins+Will and Architecture Incorporated. Alumend, a subsidiary of Avera, will occupy 7,500 sf in the $31 million facility, which will also house the offices of the USD Discovery District and 20,000 sf of leasable space.

Infineon Technologies is planning to begin construction in mid-2019 on a 646,000-sf semiconductor manufacturing center in Villach, Austria. The company will invest $1.9 billion over six years in the creation of the facility, which will begin producing 300-millimeter wafers by 2021. Accommodating approximately 400 employees, the project will enable Infineon to meet an increased global demand for semiconductors to support the development of electric vehicles, battery technologies, data centers, and renewable energy systems. 

Cambrex Corporation, a leading manufacturer of small molecule innovator and generic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), completed an expansion of its pilot plant in High Point in May of 2018. The project included the installation and commissioning of a fourth reactor suite, increasing the site's capacity by approximately 30 percent. The 400-sf suite houses two 2,000-liter glass-lined reactors and a Hastelloy C22 filter dryer, allowing the manufacture of batch sizes between 10 and 100 kilograms under cGMP conditions.

Foxconn Technology Group will break ground in late June of 2018 on a $10 billion manufacturing campus in Mount Pleasant, Wis. Sited on 1,000 acres, the 22-million-sf project will support the production of liquid crystal displays, as well accommodating research, development, and administrative operations. Designed by Jacobs - CH2M, the campus will be the first of its kind in North America and will be built by Gilbane Company in collaboration with M+W. 

SUNY New Paltz is building the $14 million Engineering Innovation Hub in New Paltz, N.Y. Accommodating a new bachelor’s degree program in mechanical engineering, the 19,500-sf facility will feature the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center to provide instruction in 3D design and printing. Designed by Urbahn Associates to foster collaboration with industry partners, the hub will also include space for businesses participating in the START-UP NY economic development incentive program. Completion is expected in summer of 2019.

Zoetis broke ground in April of 2018 on a 463,000-sf animal vaccine center in Suzhou, China. Combining research and development operations with integrated manufacturing and supply, the facility will produce vaccines for swine, cattle, fish, and companion animals. Offering sophisticated innovation suites and certified GMP laboratories, the project will support research on disease threats prevalent in China with a primary focus on aquaculture.

Johnson Controls opened a $150 million research and development complex in April of 2018 in Hopewell Township, Pa. Designed by Jacobs, the two-building, 357,000-sf project includes a 107,000-sf engineering office building and a 250,000-sf testing lab and support facility. Accommodating the production of advanced air handlers and chillers, the complex provides over 20 specialized laboratories and a training center. The project was built by a joint venture of McCarthy, P.J.

The University of Michigan broke ground in April of 2018 on the $75 million Ford Motor Company Robotics Building in Ann Arbor. Located on the North Campus, the four-story, 140,000-sf facility will provide the College of Engineering with collaborative research and development labs, classrooms, offices, high-bay spaces, a three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles, and an outdoor obstacle course for walking robots. Ford Motor Company will occupy a laboratory on the top floor of the building and is providing $15 million in funding for the project.

Lonza opened a 300,000-sf cell and gene therapy manufacturing center in April of 2018 in Pearland, Texas. The facility features eight independent cGMP modular cleanrooms with single-use bioreactors and a fully segregated fill/finish suite. Supporting the development of new therapies from initial concept through the pre-clinical, clinical, and commercialization phases, the integrated building includes research labs, offices, manufacturing and production spaces, and support.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is expanding its campus in Barnard Castle in the United Kingdom with the construction of a $130 million liquid biopharmaceuticals production plant. The 124,000-sf aseptic sterile facility will make injectable liquids for the treatment of respiratory and autoimmune diseases and is slated for completion by November of 2019. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and offsite construction methodologies are being implemented in the delivery of the project, which includes the specification that the building can be replicated anywhere in the world.

Leading optical manufacturer Zeiss broke ground in April of 2018 on a $37 million innovation hub in Karlsruhe, Germany. Created in partnership with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and located on the school's north campus, the ZEISS Innovation Hub @ KIT will provide collaborative research and development facilities for industry and academic startups such as Nanoscribe, a company focused on 3D printing and microfabrication. The flexible 129,000-sf hub will offer offices, meeting areas, laboratories, and production suites.

CSIRO broke ground in March of 2018 on the AUD$8 million Centre for Industrial Flow Chemistry in Melbourne. Enabling manufacturers to access advanced flow chemistry technologies, the 4,400-sf facility will offer services ranging from early-stage discovery through technology transfer and large-scale production. The center will also accommodate research on new chemical manufacturing processes. The general contractor for the project is Monaco and Hickey and completion is expected in November of 2018.

Aldevron is building a $30 million plasmid manufacturing facility in Fargo, N.D. The 70,000-sf project will feature 17,000 sf of modular cGMP cleanrooms, as well as ISO 8 processing suites with ISO 7 suites for cell banking and fermentation. The facility will feature airlocked, unidirectional personnel flow within the cGMP production area, single-pass air for all product dispensing and cell banking suites, and integrated facility and environmental monitoring systems.