Topping off held for Genzyme's 86,000 s/f addition - designed by ARC

A topping off ceremony was held recently to celebrate the placement of the last piece of steel on the 86,000 s/f addition at Genzyme's landmark Allston Landing biomanufacturing facility along the Charles River, designed by ARC/Architectural Resources. The Allston expansion is the latest collaboration between ARC and Genzyme, a partnership that dates back to 1991 when ARC designed Genzyme's original Allston facility. Since then, ARC has designed more than one million s/f of new construction and renovation projects for Genzyme, including the brand new 177,000 s/f Science Center in Framingham, Mass. Over the last few years, Genzyme has expanded production at the Allston facility from four to six bioreactors by fitting-out two cell culture halls. The current expansion, slated for completion in spring 2010, is focused on adding space for manufacturing support functions, and will allow for the creation of 90 jobs. The expansion also includes a new, 26,000 s/f underground cogeneration plant that will generate steam to run the plant's process operations and will also produce electricity. Turner Construction Co. serves as the general contractor for the project.