Shire Pharmaceuticals will begin construction in mid-2016 on a new biologics manufacturing campus in Piercetown, Ireland. Sited on 120 acres in County Meath, the project is part of Shire's $400 million investment over four years to expand its biopharmaceutical production capacity. The facility will utilize advanced bioprocessing technologies and will accommodate over 400 employees. Operations will commence at the site in mid-2019.
Global pharmaceutical manufacturer Lonza began construction in April of 2016 on a 100,000-sf facility in Pearland, Texas. Featuring a fully segregated fill/finish suite, the project will include eight independent cGMP modular cleanrooms with single-use bioreactors for the production of viral gene and virally modified therapeutics. Grade-B cleanrooms will also be constructed to continue the manufacture of EMA-regulated cell therapy products. Operations are expected to begin at the site in mid-2017.
The University of Texas at Dallas opened the $108 million Bioengineering and Sciences facility in June of 2016. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 220,000-sf project is physically connected to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Laboratory. The facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, and teaching and research labs for programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and electrical and mechanical engineering. Construction began on the project in late 2013.
A backlog of construction, renovations, and upgrades may finally come to life, thanks to the $2 billion increase in NIH funding Congress approved in December, the first increase in more than 12 years. More than 80 percent of the $32 billion NIH budget is dedicated to extramural research—research outside the NIH itself—meaning that an additional $1.6 billion in research grants will be made available this year.
Agricultural R&D firm AgBiome is creating a 30,000-sf mixed-use complex in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Located at The Lab, the leased facility will provide laboratory, office, and greenhouse space. The project is being developed by the Research Triangle Foundation, and occupancy is expected in December of 2015.
llumina is partnering with BioMed Realty Trust to develop a 155,000-sf research center in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Supporting the creation of advanced biopharmaceutical and bioinformatics technologies, the leased facility is designed for ease of expansion, enabling the project to grow by 70,000 sf to provide a total of 225,000 sf of collaborative lab and office space. Illumina is headquartered in San Diego.
Ohio State University celebrated the opening of the $126 million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC) in Columbus in April of 2015. The two-building, 235,000-sf project includes a four-story teaching and research building physically connected to a six-story office and research building. The LEED-certified complex features wet research labs with ancillary support, computational research suites, shared core labs, instructional spaces, and offices for faculty, graduate students, and administration.
Stony Brook University is planning to build the $62 million Innovation and Discovery Center in the 246-acre Research and Development Park in Stony Brook, N.Y. Designed by Mitchell Giurgola Architects, the 200,000-gsf business incubator will provide laboratory and office space for innovative biotechnology and high-tech companies. Construction will begin in spring of 2016 and completion is expected within three years.
The University of Arkansas will begin construction in mid-2015 on the $16.3 million Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. Designed by WER Architects, the 60,000-sf facility will provide multidisciplinary laboratories and greenhouses for plant and animal science as well as water quality research. The project will include a 300-seat auditorium and administrative offices for the UA Agricultural Experiment Station. The general contractor for the facility is Nabholz Construction.
George Washington University opened the $275 million Science and Engineering Hall in March of 2015 in Washington, D.C. Located on the Foggy Bottom campus, the 500,000-sf interdisciplinary facility provides classrooms, integrated core facilities, and collaborative research spaces. Designed by Ballinger, the facility houses laboratories for biomedical engineering, nanofabrication, molecular genetics, imaging, and environmental engineering. The three-story high bay lab will support structural testing for large-scale construction components.
The University of Aberystwyth is planning to build the $62.5 million Innovation and Enterprise Campus in Wales in the United Kingdom.
The University of Illinois dedicated the $95 million Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building in Urbana in October of 2014. Designed by SmithGroup of Chicago, the six-story, 235,000-sf facility provides advanced classrooms, labs, and equipment suites for interdisciplinary research in biotechnology, communications, computing, energy, and nanotechnology.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine completed a three-phase construction project that for the first time consolidates its entire marine research operation into one facility, replacing a collection of buildings, some of which had neither heat nor air conditioning. The new Ocean Science and Education Campus, on 54 acres where the Damariscotta River empties into the Gulf of Maine, includes a shore facility for research vessels.
The University of Connecticut began construction in June of 2015 on the 119,000-sf Innovation Partnership Building in Storrs. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the $170 million project will provide flexible laboratories to support collaborative R&D with industry partners in advanced manufacturing, materials science, cyber infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
The University of Cambridge is planning to build a new chemical engineering and biotechnology building in the United Kingdom. The $67 million facility will provide teaching and research space for the recently merged Department of Chemical Engineering and the Institute of Biotechnology. The project team includes architect BDP, general contractor Morgan Sindall, and mechanical and electrical contractor Shepherd Engineering Services. Completion is expected in June of 2015.
