Pharmaceutical

Bristol Myers Squibb is expanding its Moreton campus in the United Kingdom with the construction of a new facility for pharmaceutical discovery and development. Designed by ADP Architecture, the 38,000-sf building will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, flexible office areas, and dynamic collaboration zones. Next-generation analytical suites will accelerate the commercialization of new treatments for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions.

BXP recently completed a 113,000-rsf innovation hub in Waltham, Mass. Designed by TRIA, 103 CityPoint aims to reshape corporate culture for science and technology tenants, energizing its workforce and accelerating growth. The flexible flour-story structure provides 80 percent laboratory and office space, with 20 percent accommodating a double-height cGMP manufacturing area spanning approximately 25,000 sf.

The Davis Companies and Invesco Real Estate completed construction in June of 2024 on a 215,000-sf research facility in Cambridge. Designed by Jacobs, 101 Smith Place is the third structure in a new life sciences cluster called The Quad and offers 161,616 rsf of Class A lab and office space. Features include:

Merck is expanding its Darmstadt headquarters campus with the construction of a $66 million quality control facility for MilliporeSigma, the company’s life science business. Spanning approximately 105,000 sf, the four-story building will provide GMP labs and cleanrooms for the testing of medicines and biological agents. The flexible structure is designed to enhance operational efficiencies and will bring 135 employees from different departments together in one collaborative location.

WACKER opened the mRNA Competence Center in June of 2024 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. Representing an investment of over €100 million, the next-generation facility enables the large-scale production of active ingredients based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The building spans a total floor area of 79,653 sf and accommodates four new lines supported by advanced infrastructure, including 17,222 sf of glass-enclosed cleanroom space for bioprocessing under controlled conditions. 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center began construction in June of 2024 on the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center in Sharonville, Ohio. The $60 million project will transform an existing structure into a catalyst for innovative clinical trials. Designed by BHDP Architecture, the 111,000-sf facility will advance the development, testing, and manufacture of new medicines and biological therapies.

Sanofi opened a 20,000-sf biomanufacturing center in May of 2024 in Toronto. Producing adult and pediatric vaccines for pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus, the project significantly increases capacity to meet growing demand in Canada and around the world. The next-generation facility features advanced bioprocessing suites supported by highly efficient infrastructure. Commissioning is currently under way, with full operations slated to commence in mid-2025.

AstraZeneca is planning to construct a US$1.5 billion facility in Singapore for the manufacture of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Enabling the creation of precision cancer therapies, the project will integrate every stage of the ADC production process at commercial scale. The sustainably designed building is slated to achieve net-zero operational carbon and will leverage advanced infrastructure to achieve optimal energy performance. Completion is expected in 2029. A site for the greenfield development has yet to be determined. 

Merck celebrated the beginning of construction for the $325 million Advanced Research Center in April of 2024. Located on the company's Darmstadt headquarters campus in Germany, the biopharmaceutical innovation facility will accelerate the development of novel processes and materials for the production of antibodies, recombinant proteins, and viral vectors. The flexible structure will also drive advances in pharmaceutical purification, formulation, and analytical chromatography.

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) has announced the 2024 Facility of the Year Awards category winners. The awards include:

The University of Delaware broke ground in April of 2024 on the Securing American Biomanufacturing Research and Education (SABRE) Center. The $150 million facility will enhance the R&D capabilities of the adjacent National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) while driving the creation of a skilled workforce. Serving as a living laboratory for the formulation of best practices, the 70,000-sf building is envisioned as a place to scale up and mature new production methods.

Delancey is planning to construct a £400 million innovation hub in London's Knowledge Quarter. Designed by Gardiner & Theobald and KPF, the 194,000-sf structure will offer 130,000 sf of leasable research space for biomedical companies, technology firms, and start-up enterprises. The highly adaptable facility will feature next-generation laboratories, traditional and open offices, a maker space, and a community event venue. Typical floors will have access to an amenity terrace with a range of interactive settings.

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is constructing a $3.2 billion pharmaceutical campus in Holly Springs, N.C. Integrating sophisticated automation technologies, the multi-building development will enable large-scale cell culture manufacturing for the creation of bulk drug substances. Ground was broken in October of 2021 on the first phase, a $2 billion production center slated for completion in early 2025. A subsequent investment of $1.2 billion will establish an additional 425,000-sf plant that will begin operations in 2028.

Novo Nordisk has executed a long-term, full-building lease for a 165,940-rsf property at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in Waltham, Mass. Located at 60 Sylvan Road, the research facility is being redeveloped to provide next-generation environments for biomedical discovery. Neighborhoods of labs, offices, and collaboration spaces will foster interaction between investigators to accelerate the discovery and commercialization of new therapies. Occupancy is expected in 2025.

Lonza is investing $1.2 billion to purchase a pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Vacaville, Calif. Presently occupied by Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, the 427,000-sf complex provides a total bioreactor capacity of approximately 330 liters. Lonza is offering employment to 750 personnel at the site, which will continue to supply its current products at a committed volume of 30 percent throughout 2025.