Pharmaceutical

Boehringer Ingelheim opened its $81 million global center for veterinary vaccine development in October of 2018. Located in Lyon, France, the four-story, 156,000-sf facility provides research and development laboratories for the creation of animal vaccines for diseases such as rabies and avian influenza. Designed as an international center for biological excellence, the project features scalable production suites and can accommodate 200 employees.

Rubius Therapeutics began construction in October of 2018 on a $155 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Smithfield, R.I. The project includes renovation of an existing 135,000-sf building to create a leading-edge facility for the manufacture of the company's Red Cell Therapeutics product line which includes treatments for cancer and other diseases. The structure, which was formerly owned and occupied by Alexion, will accommodate 160 new employees. 

Ajinomoto Althea is building a 57,000-sf pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in San Diego. Accommodating all stages of development from preclinical production through commercial supply, the project will support the manufacture of highly potent drug products as well as Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs). The facility will enable the safe handling and manipulation of compounds with very low occupational exposure limits (OEL) while maintaining aseptic conditions and cGMP compliance.

The Bioprocess Innovation Center is the new office and research headquarters for FUJIFILM Diosynth Technologies in Research Triangle Park. The three-story facility combines research laboratories and administration into one building and fosters a strong sense of community, despite the isolated suburban setting. The project re-conceptualizes the role of a research laboratory building as a “home for a team of scientists.” The company’s research capabilities are showcased as visitors see the lab spaces as they approach the building.

The University of Toronto opened the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship in September of 2018. Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the CAD$200 million project features a four-story atrium, TEAL classrooms for technology-enhanced active learning, design studios, fabrication and prototyping facilities, and a 468-seat auditorium.

Moderna Therapeutics opened a $110 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in July of 2018 in Norwood, Mass. Supporting phase one and two clinical development programs, the 200,000-sf facility will provide cGMP production and testing facilities for mRNA drug candidates, as well as housing a Personalized Cancer Vaccine (PCV) unit. Featuring sophisticated digital technologies for the integration of manufacturing operations, the building also houses quality control labs, plasmid production suites, preclinical labs, offices, and logistics space.

Atara Biotherapeutics opened a $55 million manufacturing facility in June of 2018 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Designed by HPA Architects to meet LEED sustainable design criteria, the Atara T-cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) center houses a 90,000-sf facility for the production of CAR-T allogeneic therapies, as well as additional R&D labs and offices. The project was developed by Sares-Regis Group with Atara signing a 15-year lease for the building.

Pfizer is planning to construct a 400,000-sf modular aseptic processing facility on its existing campus in Portage, Mich. Part of a $1.1 billion investment in Kalamazoo County over the next six years, the $465 million center will be one of the world’s most advanced facilities for the manufacture of sterile injectables.

Harvard University's Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) has created the Healthy Buildings Program to study the effects of the built environment on health, productivity, and wellbeing. The nine foundations of a healthy building can optimize occupant health, preferably in a smoke-free environment with active design to promote movement.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals opened a 170,000-sf R&D facility in San Diego in June of 2018. Although over 70 percent of the Torrey Pines center is dedicated to research, the project also features a 4,000-sf business incubator suite and a 1,500-sf learning lab for STEAM programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Alexandria Real Estate Equities oversaw construction of the leased site, which has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification.

Merck will begin construction in the third quarter of 2018 on a biologics facility in County Dublin, Ireland. Located on Merck's 33-acre campus in Swords, the project includes the renovation and expansion of an existing 341,000-sf structure to create a 470,000-sf facility offering laboratory, production, and warehouse space. The state-of-the-art pharmaceutical plant will manufacture protein therapeutics derived from mammalian cell cultures. Occupancy is expected in 2021.

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.

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.

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.

AstraZeneca opened its 163,000-sf South San Francisco facility in May of 2018. Located in the Cove at Oyster Point, the project houses a total of 400 employees from four organizations: Acerta Pharma, MedImmune, Pearl Therapeutics, and Technology Innovation & Delivery Excellence (TIDE). Designed by HOK to promote collaboration and innovation, the open lab and office environments incorporate AstraZeneca’s iWork philosophy, an activity-based approach that embraces industry best practices.