Manufacturing

Athenex is constructing a $210 million pharmaceutical plant in Dunkirk, N.Y. Supporting the production of advanced cancer therapies, the 409,000-sf complex will provide research, office, manufacturing, and warehouse space. General contractor Exyte broke ground on the facility in May of 2018, and commercial operations will commence at the site in early 2022. The project is part of a strategic infrastructure development plan to enable Athenex to offer vertically integrated oncology services from discovery through marketing.

Merck KGaA broke ground in early 2020 on the $275 Biotech Development Center in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. Constructed adjacent to the company's existing commercial manufacturing campus, the 169,000-sf project will provide advanced research, development, and production facilities to support the creation of innovative biological compounds for clinical studies.

Eli Lilly and Company opened the 11,500-sf Lilly Life Sciences Studio in San Diego in January of 2020. Part of a $90 million investment to expand the company's research footprint, the laboratory leverages a robotic cloud platform created by Strateos to enable other drug discovery companies and investigators to access the remote-controlled facility.

VEGA, a global manufacturer of process measurement technologies, will begin construction in early 2020 on a $50 million headquarters complex in Mason, Ohio. Sited on 50 acres, the 230,000-sf campus will include advanced manufacturing and production facilities, corporate offices, and a state-of-the-art business and training center. The project team includes BHDP Architecture and construction manager Messer Construction. Occupancy is expected in 2021.

Eli Lilly & Company is planning to build a $474 million pharmaceutical manufacturing center in Durham, N.C. Located in Research Triangle Park, the next-generation facility will produce injectable therapeutics and delivery devices for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. Accommodating over 450 new employees, the project will provide integrated manufacturing, engineering, and warehouse areas. Operations will commence at the site in 2023.

Aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin opened its new headquarters and research facility in January of 2020 in Kent, Wash. Designed to accommodate approximately 1,500 employees, the 232,885-sf O'Neill Building provides open offices, R&D labs, conference rooms, a staff lounge and kitchen, and an expansive gathering space adjoining the lobby to encourage collaboration and interaction. Supporting the company's recent growth, the structure is sited on over 30 acres adjacent to Blue Origin's former headquarters, which has been renamed the Verne Building.

Siemens Mobility Limited is planning to build a rail innovation campus in Goole in the United Kingdom. Designed by Arup and AHR, the 860,000-sf complex will include a £200 million manufacturing center and the Rail Accelerator and Innovation Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE) to support collaborative research with academic and industry partners. The first phase of RaisE's construction comprises a £6 million, 34,400-sf structure providing offices, labs, and support space. Production is expected to begin at the site in 2023.

Industrial gas manufacturer Air Products is constructing its $400 million global headquarters in Lehigh Valley, Pa. Accommodating over 2,000 employees, the complex will provide a 525,000-sf administrative building, a world-class R&D center, and an enclosed parking structure. Designed to maximize the efficiency of the site, the nine-story office facility will occupy a smaller building footprint than Air Product's existing corporate headquarters.

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Unilever opened the Foods Innovation Centre in December of 2019. Located on the campus of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, the $94 million Hive facility offers collaborative research and development facilities for the creation of sustainable food products. Designed by Paul de Ruiter Architects, the 439,706-sf innovation hub provides laboratories, an expansive atrium, a pilot plant, an innovation kitchen, an auditorium, a food bar, a retail market, and an underground parking garage.

HALIX opened a 72,000-sf biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing center in November of 2019 at Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands. The five-story structure provides BSL-2 cleanrooms with unidirectional process flows that can easily be upgraded to BSL-3 as needed. A manufacturing line with a 250-liter bioreactor capacity supports the production of viral vaccines and viral vectors, while a separate protein manufacturing area accommodates single-use bioreactors with a capacity of up to 1,000 liters.

Thermo Fisher Scientific opened a $90 million viral vector facility in December of 2019 in Lexington, Mass. Featuring specialized GMP laboratories, the 50,000-sf project will accommodate the development, testing, and manufacture of viral vectors for the creation of gene and cell therapies. The center will act as a CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) site and will offer services including from drug development through clinical trials and commercial production.

AZI is constructing an 85,000-sf isoptope production and research facility in Bunker Hill, Ind. The $44.5 million project includes the expansion of a 55,000-sf shell building by 30,000 sf to accommodate a 280,000-pound 70MeV cyclotron. The existing structure was purchased at a cost of $2.8 million. AZI (Arizona Isotopes Science Research Corp.) is based in Phoenix and supplies medical isotopes to companies and institutions worldwide. The facility is strategically sited near the Grissom Aeroplex, a public and military airport with a 12,500-sf runway.

Amazon is planning to construct a $40 million robotics innovation hub in Westborough, Mass. The 350,000-sf facility will enable teams of researchers, engineers, and technicians to design, build, program, and test robots, including self-driving units for order fulfillment and warehouse management. The project will house R&D labs, manufacturing space, corporate offices, and a distribution center. Completion is expected in 2021.

WuXi Biologics is planning to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Dundalk, Ireland. A three-story, 110,600-sf vaccine production plant will leverage single-use technologies and processes to optimize efficiency and scalability. A four-story, 62,000-sf facility housing laboratories and administrative offices will also be constructed. The project represents the second phase of development at the site, where WuXi is currently building a $365 million, 522,000-sf manufacturing center that will begin commercial operation in 2022.